About Us - Facilities
The Prince Engineering Design Center & Vermeer Engineering Projects Center
1712 Knollcrest Circle SE,
Grand Rapids MI 49546-4403 (N 42.93169 W 85.59016)
The Prince Engineering Design Center and the Vermeer Engineering Projects Center consists of two working areas — one for projects, the other for design. This arrangement provides space and equipment for all Calvin student-engineers to do research, design models, and build prototypes.
A building that teaches
The building houses faculty and student research, senior projects, metal and wood shops, and many other project facilities. Completed in the fall of 1999, the building itself is instrumented for use as a teaching tool. All the major building systems — structural, heating & cooling, electrical — serve as teaching devices. Some examples: strain gages applied on the roof trusses allow for load-deflection and stress/strain analysis; instrumentation on the air handling unit and thermocouples on the wall surfaces allow for thermodynamic analyses; and electrical power monitoring devices connected to a computer-based data acquisition system allow for remote analysis of energy usage.
Facility features
Engineering students have the room and access to build large-scale projects, design complex systems, and be part of a team environment starting their first-year at Calvin.
Other features include several overhead doors and cranes to handle large-scale items — allowing Calvin engineering students to conceive and produce projects up to the size that can be delivered on a flatbed truck. A Wet Lab is included which can house large-scale hydraulic systems. A Design Yard offers the opportunity for testing bridge components and solar powered systems. The Machine and Wood Shops are designed to accommodate large machines such as numerically controlled milling machines. The interior shop walls are constructed with glass panels to provide high visibility and isolation of noise and particles.
A creative and interactive environment
Two large, spacious lofts provide a comfortable setting to brainstorm and develop new theories before construction begins. It's also a place to hangout and relax and with fellow classmates.
Whether Calvin engineering students are working on design projects or developing life-skills, their professors serve not only as teachers, but also as models and mentors. Our facility provides an environment that fosters important student/faculty relationships, incorporating space where students and faculty can share their time, their faith and their experiences. The mezzanine includes a study area with tables, chairs, computer workstations, vending machines and reference materials. Several faculty offices are located on the perimeter of the facility, offering easy access for students.