Beginning in March 2016, architectural engineering students will have an upgraded, state-of-the-art space on the third floor of Ernest Cockrell Jr. Hall (ECJ) to learn to design and construct transformative facilities. Structural engineer Thomas W. Taylor (B.S. ARE ’59) and his wife, Dane (BBA ’75), have made a generous pledge to renovate the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering’s architectural engineering suite.
Outfitted with the latest equipment, the suite will feature a virtual design lab, studio space and collaboration center. Its open design will nurture the Cockrell School’s vibrant architectural engineering community and encourage new collaborations among students and faculty. View renderings of the architectural engineering suite created by current architectural engineering students.
“This wonderful gift from Thomas and Dane Taylor will benefit and inspire countless generations of architectural engineering students who will continue to define where we live our lives,” said Richard Corsi, chair of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. “Their generosity will have immediate and long-lasting impacts that benefit our students and those who will occupy the buildings they design and build.”
With more than 50 years of experience, Taylor is a leader and innovator in the building industry. He is a principal design engineer at Datum Engineers, a structural engineering firm based in Austin. Taylor took over operations in 1963 and helped Datum grow into a nationally recognized firm. The new architectural engineering studio will be named in honor of Datum Engineers.
“I have had many blessings in my life and have so much enjoyed my career as an architectural engineer,” Taylor said. “The two blessings that have made such an impact on my life, is my loving family and a public education at The University of Texas at Austin.”
A longtime supporter of the Cockrell School, Taylor is a member of the civil, architectural and environmental engineering department’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni and has spoken to introductory architectural engineering classes about the industry for nearly 30 years.
