The original Bliss Hall building with its westerly granite façade was built in 1926 and originally housed the entire school of engineering. The building was designated as a Historic Building in 2017.
The Bliss Hall project entailed a complete demolition of the existing interior including all the MEP in the building. Dimeo oversaw the move out process of Bliss Hall and then started in the summer of 2018 with the demolition and abatement of the building. The demolition included removing a 2-story addition that was attached to the back of the building and was used as an asphalt lab by URI. The project also involved the replacement of the historic windows to mimic the original 1926 design.
The construction consisted of erecting a modern metal panel 4-story addition to the historic Bliss building on the north side, installing all new MEP and completely gutting the existing 5-story building. It was then fit-out to meet the demands of the engineering school and complements the new nearby 186,258 sf Fascitelli Center of Advanced Engineering, where Dimeo also served as the construction manager. The total square footage of the Bliss Hall project is 57,583 including the new 4-story addition.
The renovated Bliss Hall houses the Dean of the Engineering School and his support staff, along with a mix of classrooms and lab spaces.
