Drosdick Hall—the new home of Villanova University’s College of Engineering—officially opened in fall 2024 following the completion of a $125 million, 150,000-square-foot expansion. This ambitious and forward-looking project more than doubled the size of the College’s primary academic building, underscoring the University’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and innovation as part of its Strategic Plan, Rooted. Restless.
A NEW ERA FOR THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
In addition to creating a new home for the entire Engineering community, Drosdick Hall impacts and elevates every aspect of the College’s academic and student experience, with improved and expanded research facilities focused on interdisciplinary connections and state-of-the-art instruction spaces for hands-on, problem-oriented and team-based learning.
A SPACE FOR COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION
With every College of Engineering department in one location—rather than spread across six buildings on campus—collaboration, innovation and a sense of distinctive College identity grows and thrives in Drosdick Hall. From the placement of faculty offices to lab configurations to gathering spaces, every aspect of the building is designed to foster connections and facilitate collaborative discovery and cross-disciplinary advances. In addition to serving as a learning and innovation hub for Villanova Engineers, Drosdick Hall benefits the entire Villanova community with common spaces open to all.
DROSDICK HALL BY THE NUMBERS
150,000
SQUARE FOOT EXPANSION
$125 million
TOTAL PROJECT COST
63% EXPANSION OF LAB SPACE
25,000
CUBIC YARDS OF EARTH EXCAVATED
971.2
TONS OF STEEL UTILIZED
488
PIECES OF PRECAST WITH STONE VENEER
COMMUNITY SPACES
AT THE HEART OF THE BUILDING FOR ALL VILLANOVANS TO GATHER, STUDY AND LEARN
HOLY GROUNDS
Drosdick Hall is home to an expansive Holy Grounds cafe where students, faculty and staff can catch up over a cup of coffee and build Caritas between meetings, classes or labs.
JONES FAMILY LEARNING COMMONS (121)
The three-story, light-filled atrium is an ideal space for students of all majors to gather in study groups, meet informally or come together for an event.
TEAM ROOMS (121B and 121C)
Ten team rooms offer quiet and focused study spaces exclusively for students, designed to support individual and small-group learning. With seating for up to six people, each room provides a peaceful environment ideal for reading, writing or collaborative work.
GRADUATE STUDENT OFFICE SPACE (134)
Master’s and doctoral students have dedicated office spaces within Drosdick Hall, enhancing their on-campus experience and underscoring their important contributions both in research labs and in the classroom.
STATE-OF-THE-ART INSTRUCTION SPACES
THAT CAN SUPPORT SMALL DISCUSSIONS, LARGER LECTURES AND HANDS-ON LEARNING
DIONISIO FAMILY LECTURE HALL (031)
Instructional spaces in Drosdick Hall have been designed to adapt to the needs of the College. The Dionisio Family Lecture Hall provides state-of-the-art instructional technologies to support student learning and is also an ideal space for hosting lectures, open houses and other large gatherings.
DROSDICK INNOVATION LABORATORY (060)
Housing 3D printers, high-tech workstations and other essentials, the Drosdick Innovation Lab equips students of all disciplines for the designbuild-test process of engineering. The two-story maker space is also viewable to the public— placing students’ innovations and collaborative projects on full display.
GABRIELE BIOENGINEERING TEACHING LABORATORY (B72)
In this hybrid lab-classroom environment, students gain direct experience with the tools and techniques used in modern biomedical research and design, building practical skills that complement their instructional classes.
DOLAN TEACHING LABORATORY (B29)
This lab space supports the application of classroom concepts to real-world challenges like water treatment, pollution control and environmental monitoring, equipping students with the hands-on experience and problemsolving abilities essential for protecting public health and the environment.
Drosdick Hall enabled the College of Engineering to increase its research space by more than 60% through the inclusion of nearly two dozen new state-of-the-art laboratories. These innovative labs are thoughtfully designed as collaborative “neighborhoods” to foster connection and innovation around topical areas of research, including Biomaterials and Polymers, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, and Healthcare Monitoring and Communications. By bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines, these spaces encourage shared discovery and accelerate cross-disciplinary advances.
This lab facilitates the development of advanced thermal management technologies that support the growing demands of high-power electronics, including electric vehicles, aerospace systems and artificial intelligence processors in data centers. Researchers focus on efficient liquid cooling methods, phase-change heat transfer and energy recovery to reduce environmental impact and improve system performance. Their work directly contributes to cleaner, more reliable and more energy-efficient technologies in critical industries. BASEMENT
THERMAL FLUIDS AND ENERGY SYSTEMS LABORATORY (B35)
GIUNCO FAMILY HYDRAULIC AND SEDIMENT DYNAMICS LABORATORY (B36)
Backed by a $1 million grant, this lab is accentuated by the largest flume in the region to study how water flows through natural and built environments, helping researchers better understand erosion, sediment transport and flood dynamics. The findings support the design of more resilient infrastructure, improved river and coastal management, and more efficient water resource planning—directly impacting communities by reducing flood risks and protecting ecosystems.
The L3Harris HAVLab provides the College with a unique world-class laboratory facility for the development, implementation and testing of innovative robots and drones, including smallscale unmanned air, underwater, surface, ground and amphibious vehicles. The lab is also used to develop algorithms for cooperative missions between intelligent vehicles operating in different mediums—for potential use in search and rescue, mine sweeping and fighting forest fires. It includes a cage/fly space equipped with netting and a motion capture system.
ROWEN BIOENGINEERING LABORATORY (132)
Researchers in this lab tackle critical challenges in healthcare and biotechnology. Ongoing projects include developing earthworm hemoglobin as a stable blood substitute, advancing cryopreservation techniques for cells and tissues, and improving cell manufacturing processes for CAR-T and CAR-NK immunotherapies. Researchers also investigate drug targets for foodborne pathogens and study the behavior of therapeutic genes in human cells to support safer, more effective treatments.
CLARK ROBOTICS, DYNAMICS AND SYSTEMS LABORATORY (150)
This interdisciplinary lab supports members of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems research neighborhood in the development of intelligent machines that aid society. Researchers investigate the modeling, control and coordination of dynamic systems—from autonomous vehicles to robotic manipulators—to enable adaptive, efficient and safe operation in complex environments.
BRAIN LABORATORY (110)
This state-of-the-art facility provides faculty and students with a unique space to study the functioning of the human brain and body in areas including cognitive aging, sports and performance studies, and brain injury detection and monitoring. Among the features in this lab is a 20-foot-long ZenoMetrics mat, which is equipped with pressure sensors to measure movement and mobility in healthy and aging adults, as well as in adults with injuries and mild cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. Subjects walk along the mat, which simultaneously records their stride, balance, footfalls and overall cognitive control of their gait.
FIRST FLOOR
SMART TRANSPORTATION LABORATORY (106)
Human experience is at the heart of research in this world-class lab, where work focuses on the creation of virtual civil infrastructure prototypes to improve the safety and well-being of pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and other road users. Equipped with an omnidirectional treadmill to mimic the pedestrian experience, a stationary bike simulator for cyclists and a car simulator for drivers, the Smart Transportation Lab enables three users to simultaneously experience and interact with a transportation system. A separate standalone driving simulator enables the study of how behavioral data can help predict driver performance at different levels of vehicle autonomy.
MATERIALS AND MECHANICS LABORATORY (254)
Researchers in this lab develop advanced materials and technologies that address real-world challenges in energy, healthcare and other fields. Innovations include 3D-printed copper for more efficient cooling in electronics and clean water systems, and magnesium oxide cements that offer safer, more efficient building materials. The lab also supports pioneering research in antimicrobial coatings to reduce infection risks in medical implants, as well as modeling materials for fusion energy to support cleaner power solutions and improve human health and environmental outcomes.
Research in this lab is dedicated to improving future communication systems through high-performance radio frequency and microwave circuits. Students and faculty use the lab to design, characterize and model radio frequency, microwave and power electronic circuits for efficient and linear transmitters. Their specialized research is highly sought after by instrument, semiconductor and telecommunications corporations that are looking to improve their products.
THIRD FLOOR
INSTRUMENTED GREEN ROOFS (KINSLEY LIVING LABORATORY AND ROOFTOP TERRACE, ENTRANCE NEAR 339)
Lab space in Drosdick Hall stretches beyond the building’s walls to include three green roofs, adding to the extensive living laboratory of green stormwater infrastructure already on Villanova’s campus. These sites not only help manage the building’s stormwater runoff, but also they serve as testbeds for students to gain skills that will place them at the forefront of efficient stormwater management practices.
