American firm Ennead has completed a new building for the engineering programme at the University of Texas in Austin, where two towers are linked by a central glass volume with diamond-patterned structural supports across its facade.

Located on the university's campus in central Austin, the Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC) houses part of the Cockrell School of Engineering, one of the top-ranking engineering schools in America. The school ? which has 7,700 students and 280 faculty members ? offers degrees in aeronautical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering, among other fields.

Totalling 430,000 square feet (39,948 square metres), the new academic building is one of several within an engineering precinct on campus. Designed around notions of "transparency and unification", the building aims to provide a collaborative environment for students, faculty and researchers from different disciplines. The design is also meant to embody the spirit of engineering.
"Architectural gestures throughout the building were designed to elevate and celebrate engineering principles," said Ennead Architects, a New York-based studio.
H-shaped in plan, the building consists of two nine-storey bars that are connected by a central glazed volume. The towers' exterior walls are clad in limestone and glass, with metal shading devices helping to mitigate solar heat gain.

"The building materials hearken to the traditional campus ...