The Richard Offerdahl ‘65 Engineering Complex brings NDSU’s College of Engineering together in a modern, connected home at the heart of campus. Combining a new three-story addition, Offerdahl Hall, with renovations to existing engineering buildings, the project links multiple facilities into one interdisciplinary hub for students, faculty, researchers, and industry partners.
Rather than building entirely new, the design makes the most of existing space, renovating and reusing it alongside new construction to stretch resources and extend the life of the university’s engineering facilities.
At the center is a collaborative design studio, a shared makerspace where students across engineering disciplines can work side by side. Hands-on learning continues in specialized labs for structures, thermal systems, and mechatronics, along with a high-bay precision agriculture lab large enough to bring full-size farm equipment indoors. Flexible classrooms, research labs, offices, huddle rooms, and open study areas give students and faculty room to teach, learn, and work in different ways, while a new Engineering Commons offers a place to gather.
New skyways tie the complex into the campus core, linking residence halls to the north with the Memorial Union to the south. Thoughtful details round out the experience, including a quiet reflection room and a pair of metal circles set into the floor as a tribute to the round Engineering Administration building that once stood on the site.
Made possible by a historic gift from Richard and Linda Offerdahl, along with state funding and support from industry partners, the complex was dedicated in October 2026 and gives NDSU a lasting place to prepare the next generation of engineers.
