Robotic touch sensors are not just skin deep
May 2, 2025
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University has embarked on an ambitious project to renovate and expand the existing Seeley G. Mudd Library building, refocusing the north campus library on collaborative student resources and providing much-needed growth space for state-of-the-art scientific research laboratories. The project will support expansion of existing research and the recruitment of new faculty by enlarging Mudd both horizontally and vertically, increasing the footprint of each floor by 75 percent and adding two floors above the existing structure.
Early construction activities related to relocation of existing utilities will begin on or around Dec. 1, 2015. This work will require the re-routing of pedestrian traffic in the area north of Mudd Library and west of Frances Searle. Appropriate signage will be provided to direct pedestrians and bicycles along alternate routes.
The north campus library will remain on the second floor, at the heart of the building, completely reimagined for collaborative student resources -- study rooms, open study space, and teaching and research consultation space. The library will remain directly connected to the Technological Institute complex through the existing bridge.
The top three floors of the expanded building will be left open in anticipation of future growth in scientific research.
The completed project will provide a prominent new ground-floor entrance, facing the green space north of the Mudd building. The main entry will open to a two-story atrium, providing direct access to the library area on the second floor. Mudd also will continue to be linked to the broader science complex through connections to Tech and Cook Hall.
When complete, the project will include 36,000 gross square feet of climate-controlled space for sensitive instrumentation on the first floor. The second floor will provide 39,000 gross square feet of collaborative student and research consultation space for the north campus library. The third, fourth and fifth floors will have 39,000 gross square feet of computational laboratory and 74,000 gross square feet of wet laboratory research space.
The expansion of the Mudd building into a hybrid laboratory-library resource will help Northwestern University grow and advance its research mission while providing new opportunities for students to engage with each other and with scientific research.
