The Taoiseach Brian Cowen visited NUI Galway last Friday for a sod turning ceremony to mark the construction of a new €40m engineering building. The construction project will employ up to 300 people and is due for completion by September 2011. BAM Building Ltd has been signed as the main contractor for what will be one of the largest construction projects west of the Shannon, and on completion will be the largest engineering building in the country.
Speaking at NUI Galway, An Taoiseach said: “The new engineering building will be financed through a combination of exchequer funding and resources realised by NUI Galway, including philanthropy. The new building will bring benefits to Galway city and its surrounds by creating jobs for the next two years. Longer term it will enable NUI Galway to continue to produce excellent engineering graduates supporting the Smart Economy in areas such as innovation and renewable energy technologies”.
NUI Galway has recently seen soaring engineering programme applications which reflect favourably on carefully thought-out new programmes. These include energy systems engineering, designed in response to a growing demand for professional engineers to work in the energy sector. Another new course is engineering innovation, which aims to create a new type of electronic engineer with skills in innovation and entrepreneurship essential to delivering the smart economy.
The 14,200 square metre engineering building will accommodate the college of engineering and informatics, housing 110 staff and approximately 1,100 students. It will include green-building initiatives, and with its exposed construction design will itself be utilised as a teaching tool for the students. High-tech renewable energy systems, environmentally friendly heat generation using carbon-neutral biomass, rainwater recycling, ground source heat pump, and low-embodied energy construction materials wherever possible will underpin the building's green credentials and provide working examples for engineering students to study.
President of NUI Galway Dr James J Browne said: “This new engineering building reflects our commitment to providing students with the highest quality learning experience in engineering education. NUI Galway enjoys a strong reputation in engineering, evidenced by this year's increase in undergraduate engineering entry to over 250 students - a 25 per cent increase on the previous year. This approach to education at NUI Galway is based on the university's key research strengths and our strong linkage with industrial partners. We offer a range of innovative programmes - from biomedical to energy engineering - which highlight the university's commitment to the national and regional needs of the smart economy”.
