UAB breaks ground on new hall for engineering

The Frances and Miller Gorrie Hall will provide space for innovation and research

A rendering of the Frances and Miller Gorrie Hall for the UAB School of Engineering.

Components of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering will soon be located under one roof. Ground has been broken on the Frances and Miller Gorrie Hall, part of the Science and Engineering Complex.

“Gorrie Hall, the new, state-of-the-art home for our School of Engineering will bring greater collaboration, innovation and competitiveness in attracting top students and faculty, as well as increased grant funding for leading-edge research,” said UAB President Ray Watts.

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees voted in 2022 to name the building after the Gorries, whose company, Brasfield & Gorrie, has been a longtime supporter of the university.

The 116,000-square-foot facility will have advanced labs, research suites and common areas, as well as a student success center that will be comprised of the peer tutoring lab, mentorship programs and internship and career center.

Additional features include a materials testing lab where compression, bending, tensile and impact testing will occur; a design and rapid prototyping lab; and a transportation and smart cities research suite.

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“Design of science and engineering buildings has changed so much in the last 30-plus years,” said Jeffrey Holmes, dean of the UAB School of Engineering. “This building will allow us to bring the majority of our academic and research efforts together under one roof for the first time. Students, staff and faculty from all our departments will be constantly interacting in the hallways and the offices.”

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