Arkansas State University CREST Center

Architect: Dake Wells Architecture Inc.
Engineers: Ecological Design Group LLC (Rogers, Arkansas), civil; Engineering Consultants Inc. (Little Rock, Arkansas), structural; and Brown Consulting Engineering Services Inc. (Fort Smith, Arkansas) with Henderson Engineers Inc. (Bentonville, Arkansas), mechanical, electrical and plumbing
General contractor: Clark Contractors LLC (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Estimated cost: $10.5 million
Estimated completion: December
Project description: In partnership with Arkansas State University, ASU-Newport and Arkansas Northeastern College, the 25,000-square-foot Career Readiness Education and Skills Training Center is meant to provide hands-on learning opportunities for workforce development in the fields of advanced manufacturing, steel production and food sciences. Project officials say this first phase of a multiphase plan includes daylit classrooms, indoor and outdoor fabrication labs, faculty offices, student collaboration areas, and a large meeting room for public education and community outreach.