Clemson University’s graduate students and staff began the Fall 2016 semester welcoming the Zucker Family Graduate Education Center, the academic anchor of the Clemson Undergraduate Research Institute.

Located in North Charleston, SC overlooking the Cooper River, the 65,000-SF facility provides space for Clemson students to achieve masters and Ph.D. degrees in a contemporary, green setting. At the site of a former naval warehouse, deep pile foundations and cast-in-place concrete slabs give way to the main building structure, which is comprised of structural steel beams and columns. The facility’s exterior features full glass curtainwalls and a rain-screen aluminum composite material (ACM) metal panel system. Nothing short of school spirited, the ACM façade wrapping around the building reflects the familiar Clemson orange. Designed to LEED Silver certification, sustainable features include remediation of a brownfield site, installation of a green roofing system, and energy-efficient HVAC and electrical systems.

Sitting adjacent to the world-renowned Clemson SCE&G Energy Innovation Center, students will have the opportunity to utilize innovative technology in the award-winning energy testing facility completed by Choate Construction in 2014.

As Charleston’s education resources continue to grow in the engineering and computer science fields, the facility provides ample space for new technology and applied learning. The Zucker Family Graduate Center serves as a world-class center of excellence, further fueling the knowledge-base critical to South Carolina’s advanced engineering initiatives.