Full-Circle Moment: NC State CCEE Graduates Renovate Former Classroom Building
Less than 10 years after graduating from NC State’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE), two alumni are back on campus to renovate a building that holds many memories for them.
In the summer of 2025, a large-scale renovation process began at Mann Hall. Named after alumnus and former Head of the Department of Civil Engineering Carroll Lamb Mann, the four-story building has acted as a common ground for aspiring engineers since its opening in 1964.
The building contained classrooms, research laboratories and offices. For CCEE alumni and faculty, Mann Hall was home before the department transitioned to Fitts-Woolard Hall in 2020.
When Leah Hart ’20 and Logan Herman ’19 learned that their former classroom building would undergo renovations, they jumped at the opportunity to be involved.
“You never know where your journey is going to take you,” Herman said. “If you had told me when I was a senior at NC State that I would be coming back in six years to rebuild Mann Hall, I would’ve thought, ‘That’s crazy.’”
Holder Construction and McFarland Construction are leading the project.
It’s a full-circle moment for the alumni, who now work for Holder Construction—Hart as a project manager and Herman as a superintendent. The two were introduced to the company as students at CCEE Career Connections, starting out as interns and receiving full-time roles after graduation.
“It’s definitely something that we’re proud to be a part of because it helps out the future engineering students,” Hart said.
“As an alumni, being able to leave your mark on something so many people are going to benefit from over the coming years is a big deal,” Herman said.
For Hart and Herman, being back on campus feels like returning to their roots. Reflecting on their time as students, the two engineers credit the CCEE department for much of their professional success.
From hands-on projects with real-world applications to networking events with industry experts, they said the department prepared them well for the workforce.
“One of the biggest things is the CCEE department’s push for industry connections,” Hart said. “The push to go to the career fair made my connection with Holder Construction. I’m really grateful for everything the department poured into that—making sure that we had connections and good job opportunities.”
“The way the department, and NC State as a whole, trains their students with critical thinking skills makes them so much more competitive in the industry,” Herman said.
The two-year renovation project of Mann Hall is a full “gut job,” stripping the interior down to the concrete structure, while keeping the exterior intact. Once complete, the building will feature:
- Two stories centered around the College of Engineering first year academic experience with study spaces, advising, student support services and a hands-on project makerspace.
- Five active learning classrooms.
- A first floor esports arena with stadium seating, podcast booths and esports team spaces.
Mann Hall is expected to reopen to students in the fall of 2027.
Main photo (at top of page): Leah Hart (right) and Logan Herman, former Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) students who now work for Holder Construction, stand outside Mann Hall, where they are helping lead renovations to the building where they once took classes. Photo by Adam Jennings
Reprinted with permission from University Communications, NC State University.
