Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

• By Heather Keele, AIA, NCARB, IIDA, WELL AP, WELL Faculty
• 11/13/25

 

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln's (UNL) recently completed Kiewit Hall — a state-of-the-art facility designed to revolutionize engineering education — focusing on sustainability, wellness, and innovative learning environments. This seven-level, 182,000-square-foot, privately funded $115M building serves as the new undergraduate academic hub for the College of Engineering, embodying UNL's commitment to preparing the holistic future engineer.

Modern education institutions face the dual challenge of creating environmentally sustainable environments that are conducive to the well-being and success of students and faculty. UNL recognized these imperatives and embarked on the development of Kiewit Hall with clear objectives:

• Sustainability: Implement environmentally friendly building practices and materials to minimize environmental impact for the life of the building.
• Wellness: Design spaces that promote physical, mental, and emotional health among occupants.
• Innovative Learning: Create flexible, technology-enhanced classrooms that support a variety of modern pedagogical approaches.
• Community Creation: Create informal learning and knowledge-sharing environments to support creative ideation, social interaction, and a unique sense of place.

To meet these objectives, a robust team was assembled. Participating throughout the design and construction were over 30 departments and divisions within the university, Clark & Enersen, Ballinger, and Kiewit Building Group.

Flexible Learning Spaces

Kiewit Hall features multiple specialty labs and over 15 large general-purpose classrooms designed with adaptability. The conceptual design of the building features a structure with exterior walls and a central atrium, allowing for clear spans across the classrooms. Technology at the ceiling permitted the teaching wall to shift to any of the four walls within classrooms. Cameras, microphones, and loudspeakers in these spaces allow for virtual, hybrid, and asynchronous learning. Movable furniture and reconfigurable layouts facilitate didactic learning, collaborative discussions, and group work, all within the course of a single instruction period.

 

This flexibility supports evidence-based teaching methods that have been shown to enhance student learning outcomes in engineering education. The instructional laboratories also employed similar strategies, allowing students to adjust their laboratories by utilizing overhead power drops to move equipment and stations around the space as needed. This model provides flexibility for the classroom to adapt in the future as pedagogical approaches and technology evolve, creating a truly sustainable learning environment.

Transparency and Natural Light

As an early design concept, "Engineering on Display" became pivotal in the human experience as well. Light is the most important external cue keeping the body's internal clocks synchronized through circadian photoentrainment. Our body's regular rhythms impact alertness, digestion, and sleep. The extensive use of floor-to-ceiling glass walls allows daylight to reach all regularly occupied spaces, reducing the need for artificial lighting while also showcasing the engineering processes within, thereby fostering a sense of pride and visibility for the discipline. This design choice aligns with the intention to promote the work of engineers and make their contributions more visible to the broader community. Another benefit of the high level of transparency is the reduction of crime through environmental design and a connection to nature.

The Design Hub and Beyond

"The Design Hub" is an innovative maker space that provides individual students and student organizations with resources such as woodworking, machining, welding equipment, 3D printers, and much more. A series of specialty shops all open up to a shared project space with fully flexible power and furniture. In addition to the shop spaces, individual student organizations have their own collaborative areas and a large atrium display area for showcasing completed work, projects, or other events. This facility promotes hands-on learning and interdisciplinary collaboration, reflecting the real-world engineering environments. Designed as a 24/7 facility, these student-centric spaces foster increased engagement and improved learning outcomes.