Innovation Center Reaches Major Construction Milestone

Consigli Construction Co., Inc., the firm entrusted with the project, co-hosted a ceremony to celebrate the occasion on Oct. 1. Members of the Hamilton community, including President Steven Tepper, Board of Trustees members, donors, campus leaders, and members of the Facilities Management team signed the structural beam before it was placed atop the steel frame.

Vice President for Innovation and Information Services Joe Shelley spoke at the event about how the facility will be a “new place where students can learn, discover, create, test, prototype, and bring their ideas to life in brand-new ways.

“This is going to be a place where our students can take their what-ifs and turn them into what's next,” he said.

The Innovation Center will be equipped with best-in-class technologies and resources that transform the academic experience on the Hill and serve as the launchpad for the College’s multi-faceted digital fluency initiative, Digital Hamilton.

The College’s future hub for collaboration and innovation was announced in June 2024. The facility, which is under construction between Burke Library and Taylor Science Center, is expected to open for classes in early 2027.

Innovation Center at a Glance

• 41,000-square-foot facility designed for ingenuity and collaboration across all disciplines, and a teaching and research facility for the Computer Science Department
• Central atrium (“mixer hub”) with bleacher seating
• Makerspace that includes laser cutting, wood working, metal working, and 3D printing
• Motion capture AR/VR studio
• 11 labs: two lecture labs, four teaching labs, and five research labs (includes an electronics lab and a robotics lab)
• Digital gallery
• Hybrid teaching and meeting space
• Two flexible classrooms and a seminar room
• 10 offices with dedicated tutorial space
• Enclosed area connecting to Burke Library (beneath the terrace)