Engineering Building

ENGINEERING BUILDING

Style of Architecture Is An Adapted Renaissance.

NEARING COMPLETION

The Great Tank and Dry Dock the Largest in United States.

The new engineering building which is now being erected at the University of Michigan at a cost of $140,000 consists of a main part and three large wings. The main part, which is in the extreme southeast corner of the campus, is 57x66 feet on the ground and four stories high.  It spans the diagonal walk which passes beneath the building as an arcade 14 feet wide.  A wing 60x174 feet in size extends west from the main portion, and another 60x213 feet extends to the north. At the end of this latter wing there is an extension 22x100 feet. Another wing 60x60 feet projects in the direction of the tall power house chimney.

The style of architecture is an adapted Renaissance. The first story of the building is of limestone, The other stories are of paving brick and the roof is red tile. All the floors are of concrete and when completed will be fire and sound proof.

The entire building will be heated by direct radiation, and ventilated by fans or blowers.  The fans will have a delivering capacity of two thousand cubic feet per occupant per hour.  They will be operated by direct connected electric motors.  The air for ventilation will be warmed to about 74 degrees.  There will be discharge flues; and a fan in the attic will draw off the stale air.

With the exception of the library and faculty room the entire building will be finished in southern pine.  For the library red oak will be used.  The wainscoting will be high and the floors will be of red tile.  This room which is directly over the arcade will be fitted with tables and book alcoves and will be made an attractive place for students to gather.

Among the more important features of the building and its equipment will be the naval testing tank, the compressed air room, the hydraulic laboratory, the cold storage department, steam engine room, and electric room.

The tank for testing ship models which is nearly completed is in the basement of the north wing.  It is 300 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 10 feet deep.  Connected with it is a dry-dock capable of holding a model 10 feet long.  This tank will be used for experiments concerning the shapes and sizes of boats, and the different kind of propellers.

In the compressed air room there will be machines capable of delivering air at the various pressures up to 3,000 pounds per square inch.

Among the pumps in the hydraulic laboratory will be one with a daily capacity of 7,000,000 gallons and another with a capacity of 1,000,000 gallons.  Investigations will be carried on with water under pressure of 200 to 300 pounds to the square inch.  The naval tank will furnish an adequate supply of water for these large pumps.

The cold storage department, will consist of the ice machine, and three cold storage chambers with cooling coils.  With this department it will be possible to test building materials which have been subjected to low temperatures.

In that portion of the building given over to steam engines there will be a special multiple expansion engine, with cylinders arranged so as to secure a great variety of expansions.  There will also be machines representing the different types of engines, including the steam turbine.

Besides the above there will be rooms for testing instruments, computing, calibrating, drawing, recitation rooms, and instructors' rooms.