CEE Students Visit Ann Arbor Construction Sites
Hands-on learning at the U-M College of Pharmacy and Dunbar Tower projects connects classroom lessons to real-world challenges.
On April 4th and April 23rd, students in CEE 530 – Construction Professional Practice, CEE 532 – Advanced Construction Management, and CEE 537 – Construction of Buildings visited two active construction sites in Ann Arbor: the U-M College of Pharmacy building and the Ann Arbor Housing Commission and Avalon Housing’s Dunbar Tower.
At both sites, students toured in-progress construction areas, interacted with the site construction management teams, and learned about the various building systems being installed. These conversations and walkthroughs gave students valuable insight into the day-to-day realities of large scale construction management.
The College of Pharmacy building is designed to provide a space for instruction, research, and student collaboration. With classrooms, laboratories, and support spaces, the project is scheduled for completion in Fall 2025. The building also incorporates sustainable construction elements, including a mass timber structural frame, aimed at long-term energy and operational efficiency. One of the site managers who guided the tour was U-M CEE BSE and MEng alumni Jessie Kippley, who works for Turner Construction Company, the construction manager for the project.
Students who visited the Pharmacy site included Mason Parris, Eduardo Hurtado, Ghassaq Nassir, Jenna Bonello, Jacqueline Buford, Ayesha Patel, Pranav Chaudhari, Kathan Patel, Ayush Patel, Mahan Sreekantamurthy, Yixin Hong, James Zittel, Ved Patwa, and Runfeng Lin.
On April 23rd, the students visited Dunbar Tower, a collaborative project between the Ann Arbor Housing Commission and Avalon Housing. Once completed, the development will provide affordable housing. The project highlights a commitment to sustainability and community development and is an example of how infrastructure can support broader social goals.
Students attending the Dunbar Tower site visit included Eduardo Hurtado, Jenna Bonello, Braedon Urzua, Guillermo Corral, Mahan Sreekantamurthy, and James Zittel.
These visits not only allowed students to witness construction processes up close but also provided a bridge between classroom instruction and real-world engineering challenges. “By seeing active construction operations and speaking with site managers during the visits, students deepen their understanding of activities happening on site and how it relates to the technical material covered in their courses,” said CEE 537 course instructor and faculty site tour facilitator, David Kelly.
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