Lamar University is a public research university in Beaumont, Texas that is home to roughly 17,000 students and 1,200 faculty and staff. An upgrade to the legacy two-story Cherry Engineering Building would allow it to continue serving engineering departments, become home to specialized research centers and update the site to current building standards. With this renovation, the Cherry Engineering Building would become home to the Signature Centers, which encompass three essential areas of readiness research and teaching for Beaumont and the surrounding region: resiliency, port management, and midstream management and science.

Architecture giant Gensler was handing the building modifications and specified M2L for the landscaping portion of project based on previous collaborations. Elements of the landscape plan to support the building modifications focused on accessibility and connection for this high-traffic area of campus. M2L designers updated outdoor amenities around the building, most notably a circular entrance plaza, with new landscaping, brick pavers and seating, as well as sustainable landscaping adjacent to the building and parking areas.