Construction began March 20, 2023, on Kaiser Borsari Hall, Western’s new electrical and computer engineering, energy science, and computer science building. The new building will be located east of the Communications Facility and connected by a sky bridge to maximize program efficiencies and increase collaboration opportunities. At approximately 54,000 square feet, it will provide state-of-the-art teaching spaces and experiential learning environments, along with teaching labs, learning research labs, active learning classrooms, collaborative space, and academic administrative space.
Kaiser Borsari Hall is being funded through both public and private funds and is planned as an innovative hub for collaboration, where industry experts, faculty, and students come together to co-create technology and engineering solutions for today and tomorrow. It has been named for Fred Kaiser and Grace Borsari, longtime friends and champions of Western, who have committed a $10 million lead gift to the total project cost of $73.6 million.
The building is designed to be physically and culturally accessible, with classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces designed to support people with diverse abilities and learning styles. The project team is targeting achieving Living Building Challenge Energy Petal Certification. When complete, it will be the only carbon neutral academic facility in the region, among a handful in the nation, and will significantly advance Western’s vision to become the region’s first carbon neutral university campus.
Housing electrical engineering, computer science, and energy science within a building that demonstrates a commitment to leadership in addressing climate change and energy challenges and uses cutting-edge technology to achieve its goals will allow students unique opportunities for hands-on study and learning what is possible in high performance design and building science. Solar panels on the roof will generate all its electrical power, and the building will use local, sustainably harvested wood that will look beautiful while reducing its embodied carbon footprint.
Construction will continue through 2024, with completion expected early in 2025. Design consulting is being performed by Perkins&Will, and the General Contractor / Construction Manager is Mortenson.
