RIT holds SHED open house Jan. 18

Come explore inside the SHED (Student Hall for Exploration and Development) during an open house for the RIT community.

Tours and demonstrations will be held throughout the SHED from 2 to 5 p.m. on Jan. 18 to celebrate the new creative hub on campus.

The SHED complex is a light-filled space that connects Monroe Hall to the fully renovated Wallace Library. The space draws students from across campus to collaborate and innovate, and to study or just hang out in the space.

RIT President David Munson envisioned the SHED six years ago as the new heartbeat at the center of campus. He pictured the glass exterior revealing the daily ingenuity that RIT shares with visitors during the annual Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival.

“RIT is building places and spaces for thinkers, creators, and makers unlike any other university in the nation,” Munson said. “The SHED will showcase creativity every day with our best ideas always on display.”

Classrooms in the complex were the first SHED spaces to open for the fall semester, followed by a couple makerspaces and performing arts areas. Now that the A-level makerspaces and workshops for seven competitive performance teams are ready for student use, the SHED is primed to shake with creativity.

“We are excited for students to explore the SHED and to surprise us with their ideas and projects,” said Tiffany Brodner, SHED executive director. “It is a remarkable facility and a place for our students to grow their interests and talents.”

The SHED complex covers 209,000 gross square feet of new and renovated construction. The $120 million facility is the university’s largest capital project since 1968. William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc. designed the SHED; MRB Group, formerly HBT Architects, served as the architect of record; and Welliver as the construction manager.

The SHED’s makerspaces include the Brooks H. Bower Maker Showcase and the:

• Premier makerspace with woodworking, metal shop, 3D printers, laser cutters;
• General makerspace, attached classroom, and materials resource center;
• Cary Pressroom;
• Electronics and textiles; plus
• Seven competitive student performance teams that work on e-vehicles, robotics, rockets and steel bridges.

The SHED’s performing arts spaces include:

• An ensemble studio;
• A music instructional studio;
• Individual practice rooms;
• The Sklarsky Glass Box Theater;
• A dance studio and lounge;
• A green room and dressing rooms; and
• A recording studio.

Classroom spaces in the SHED complex include five large-scale rooms that support active learning and 22 flexible classrooms in Wallace Library.

Learn more about the SHED open house on the event page.