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Last Beam Placed on NWACC's New Integrated Design Lab
January 9th marked the Topping Out Ceremony for NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s (NWACC) Integrated Design Lab (IDL) on the Bentonville campus. The ceremony celebrated the last beam placed on the structure, a milestone for the college.
Since its ground breaking, progress continues to be made on the new 18,589 square foot facility. Over 435 yards of cement have been poured, the domestic utilities have been roughed into the building, brick installation is being prepared, and the roof installation is scheduled to be completed in February.
The IDL will provide needed classroom and lab space for key academic programs in visual arts and construction technology - Both represent significantly growing career fields in the Northwest Arkansas. The structure will also house space that supports general fine arts, sculpture, ceramics and a Fab Lab with 3D printers, a CNC router, laser cutting equipment and other tools.
Programming will promote entrepreneurship and innovation. The following tagline expresses the concept: Integrated Design at NWACC: Where inspiration and craft become career realities.
Interim Coordinator Jerod Bradshaw said the new building could bring a fine arts student's idea to life while also giving him or her the tools to build the project.
"For our construction technology students, those are going in to construction management so they're going to be working for all the large contractors in this area putting together other buildings like this for universities or for hospitals," said Bradshaw.
He further explained that the building will provide cross-training for students and faculty, a more holistic form of education.
The college plans to open the facility to students for the 2019 Fall semester.
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Visit nwacc.edu or call 479-986-4000 to learn more about choosing a higher education with NWACC.