Waynesburg University celebrated the grand opening of its Entrepreneurial Hub for Innovative Ventures and Endeavors’ (eHIVE) new location on Friday, February 16.
The day-long celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, demonstrations, competitions and activities as well as a nod to the University’s milestone 175th anniversary, which is being celebrated throughout the year.
Now located on the first floor of Stover Campus Center, the eHIVE’s new space continues the work of the University’s award-winning Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, established in 2018.
The new innovation hub houses equipment that supports student entrepreneurs in their prototyping efforts and enables them to make products to sell for their own small businesses.
For the DRAW Collective team that developed the eHIVE program, it was important that as a space designed to inspire creativity, the eHIVE be constructed with straightforward materials but detailed carefully. A folding glass wall supports typical classroom use when closed and opens to provide the flexibility to accommodate larger events seamlessly within the same suite of spaces. The overall palette is relatively simple with natural wood, polished concrete, and painted steel. To elevate these relatively modest materials, each was detailed with each joint and connection carefully considered to enhance the overall character of the space while also supporting the durability and flexibility needed for this space to function successfully.