As the end of the year is nearing I wanted to explain the new engineering facilities created this year during the engineering building renovations. The engineering department is currently undergoing a four-year project to rebuild the majority of the engineering building. Unfortunately for me, my study coincides with this renovation so I will not get to experience the benefits from this project. However, the alternative learning spaces set up during this period have been great in my opinion.  

One main issue as a result of the renovations was relocating lab equipment and providing a space where all engineering disciplines can have their labs. In response to this the Multi-Disciplinary Learning Spaces (MDLS) were set up right next to the engineering building. These spaces are ideal as they cover a range of disciplines and can be used for a range of purposes, e.g. fluid dynamics labs. 

A new facility that has recently opened in the engineering building is the Unleash Space. This space has materials, equipment, and support available for free to all University of Auckland students and staff. This space provides equipment such as sewing machines and tools to more technological equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters. It also provides all materials to use with these machines, e.g. woods, plastics and craft supplies and workshops in order to learn how to use the specialised equipment. I have not yet made use of this facility but it is an amazing space to have available as it allows people to experiment, invent and work on personal projects without any restriction.