Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Washington

Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building

  • 12/01/13
University of Washington

PHOTOS © BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER

The University of Washington in Seattle desired a facility to accommodate growth in molecular engineering; respond to the evolving interdisciplinary nature of teaching and research; and fit within an area of campus that is home to recently revitalized facilities, as well as traditional campus architecture. Research within the building will lead to new discoveries with beneficial implications for major societal challenges ranging from energy, sustainability, and the environment to information technology to affordable and effective healthcare.

Designed by ZGF Architects LLP, the project provides the necessary research laboratories and faculty offices to bring together students and researchers across science and engineering disciplines, which were previously dispersed throughout the campus. Associated molecular and nanotechnology instrumentation is also consolidated into the new facility to provide greater synergy and enhanced research capabilities. The integrated design provides tight adjacency between offices and research laboratories to encourage and facilitate collaboration between various disciplines. A further goal was for the facility to support the university’s commitment to advancing environmental stewardship by targeting new energy-saving strategies in a technically challenging laboratory environment.

The performance-driven design encompasses technical systems integration, while simultaneously addressing the environmental impacts of the technologies.

The 90,000-square-foot, five-story building, providing light-filled above-grade office, laboratory and common spaces, is the foundation for the master planned 160,000-squarefoot two-phase project. As part of Phase 1, ground and basement level instrumentation labs meet ultra-low vibration and electromagnetic interference requirements, and allow all regularly occupied research labs and offices to take advantage of daylight and views.

The five-story building provides the optimum program for the site. The narrow building footprint supports natural ventilation and daylighting strategies. Daylight from N, S, E and W compass coordinates improves user experience, encourages interaction, and provides transparency and connectivity between laboratory and office researchers on all four floors of regularly occupied building space.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management December 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • California District Opens New Continuation High School

    The Fort Bragg Unified School District (FBUSD) in Fort Bragg, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Noyo High School, a continuation high school that provides alternative education options for students in grades 6–12, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrochi Kwok Architects for design and FRC Inc. for construction, and the project’s funding came from Local Bond Measure B.

  • DLR Group Hires Three for Higher Education Practice

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has brought three new hires on board to help shape its higher education practice in California and the northeast, according to a press release.