Groundbreaking ceremonies for yet another building for the College of Engineering (CoE) were held April 6, this time for its newly formed Energy Engineering (EgyE) and Environmental Engineering (EnE) programs.
Construction has already begun on the 4,000-sq. meter site, located near the College of Architecture building along Pardo de Tavera St.
The new building will house 10 laboratories for both programs. For the EgyE program, these will be used for the following: solar-thermal, renewable energy resource, energy computation, energy performance and energy instruction. For the Ene program, these will be for air quality, water quality and analysis, extension laboratories as well as the pilot laboratory.
The facility will have an audio-visual room and 10 classrooms that can accommodate up to 510 trainees and students at a single time. It will also feature a pilot laboratory with a green roof, a type of roofing that is partially or completely covered in vegetation, planted over a waterproof membrane. The new building will also have several solar panels, intended to power its light fixtures.
Construction, funded by the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) program, is expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2011, with the second phase to begin in June.
The ceremonies were attended by UP President Emerlinda R. Román, UPD Chancellor Sergio S. Cao, CoE Dean Rowena Cristina P. Guevara and Assistant Secretary Matanog Mapandi of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
A time capsule containing plans for the new building, an invitation to the groundbreaking and the day’s newspaper was buried at the site.
—Anna Regidor