An end to construction draws near for the new Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building, which is expected to open to students for the 2025 fall semester.

The new building, which will house the industrial and manufacturing systems engineering (IMSE) department, is meant to be a flexible and collaborative place for students, according to Sarah Ryan, the department chair within the IMSE program of C.G. “Turk” and Joyce A. Therkildsen.

The IMSE department, started in 1919, will have its own building for the first time with aid from the donation of $42 million from C.G. “Turk” and Joyce A. McEwen Therkildsen.

Located southwest of Howe Hall, the new building will feature an advanced manufacturing lab, capstone design labs, multiple collaboration spaces and a team-based learning auditorium seating 120 students.

Most IMSE classrooms, computer labs, research labs and faculty and administrative offices will move from the department’s current home in Black Engineering to the new building.

“I think the biggest contribution it’s going to make is just kind of having a central place where students can easily spend time and see faculty members and see their academic advisors and collaborate on projects,” Ryan said.

According to Ryan, the project began as a formalized concept in 2019 when the university hired a bridging architect to put the needs and wants of the department on paper. In 2021, a final design proposal was submitted and accepted by the Des Moines architecture firm BNIM. 

Kevin Nordmeyer, principal architect at BNIM, helped establish the design vision in his role on the project. One aspect Nordmeyer said he and his design team focused on was bringing people together.

“We wanted to create a building that really created community,” Nordmeyer said.

Leslie Potter, a professor of IMSE, also cited community as an exciting factor of the new building. 

“The building will house a learning community room, which acts as a combination of a student lounge, a collaborative workspace and a meeting room,” Potter said. “The new classroom spaces will also affect how teaching and learning occurs… The benefit of a classroom like that, especially for somebody like myself who uses team-based learning as a pedagogy, is that it is built for flexibility.”

Currently, the IMSE department is largely located in the basement of Black Engineering. Nordmayer said the Therkildsen building will provide increased light levels, which will benefit students.

“People are gonna feel better,” Nordmeyer said. “[They’re] gonna learn better. They’re gonna do research better, you know, because of that.”

Student input has also been taken into account in the design. 

Abby Modesette, a senior in industrial engineering, spoke about how students have been a part of the process.

“They’ve actually asked a lot of us as seniors in some of our classes that we’re taking,” Modesette said. “They’re saying, ‘Hey, what are some inputs that you have on the labs right now? How can we improve these classrooms? Is there anything you want to have added into these classrooms that we could bring?’” 

Modesette also commented on the possibility for degree programs to expand.

“There’s a lot of space for the department to grow,” Modesette said.

The design team expects the building to receive a LEED Gold certification, meaning the building will achieve high sustainability standards due to its energy efficiency, utilization of recycled materials and small footprint, according to Nordmeyer.

Nordmeyer said special meaning and attention was given to the building’s cladding. C.G. “Turk” and Joyce Therkildsen, both Iowa State alumni, became executives of a chrome plating company, hence the shimmering metal building ‘skin.’

Cameron MacKenzie, an IMSE professor, found the proposed design appealing.

“I think that will be just a nice place to look at, feel very open and very inviting,” MacKenzie said.

MacKenzie also noted that IMSE having its own novel building will be helpful to showcase what the department is doing and provide recognition for both the department and the university.

When the building opens to the public next fall, Potter invites the community to visit.

“Everybody’s welcome,” Potter said. “It’s going to be a very visual place, and so we welcome people to come over and hang out with us and learn together with us.”

Nordmeyer believes this building will impact students, especially those in the oldest engineering program at Iowa State, for the better.

“The building, you know, begins to take on a spirit,” Nordmeyer said. “And what Iowa State wanted was to create a new home.”