The E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory at the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering has a gravity-defying form: The seven-story building’s solid upper floors emerge above the lighter, mostly glass base. Designed by EYP, the project, which took three years to construct, recently had its official grand opening.
Exterior materials include dichroic glass and ironspot brick that change color throughout the day depending on sunlight and weather conditions. Both materials represent significant deviations from the traditional campus architectural language. At night, façade lighting allows the building to stand out as a beacon for the Clark School of Engineering.
Inside, the 60,000 sf structure houses more than 20 laboratories. The non-traditional interior is designed to be flexible with “pods” that can be shifted into multiple arrangements depending on group size or project scope. Activities in these spaces could include everything from classroom education to research to prototyping. Walls can be easily reconfigured, providing the university ease in adapting to new research demands.
“We designed a building that is unconventional in every way,” said Charles Kirby, Senior Principal, Academic Planning and Design, EYP. “Specialized research spaces concealed in the flexible ‘factory’ that float above the glass base reveal the undergraduate entrepreneurial spaces that are central to the Clark Engineering school’s mission.”
Prominent collaborative spaces—one of the hallmarks of the IDEA Factory’s design—offer bright, bold pops of color that help define space types while activating inspiration and creativity. Nicknamed the “IDEA Factory,” the building’s street level offers open views for onlookers to peer inside. On this level, undergraduates share tools in the Rapid Prototyping Lab, prepare for design competitions in the ALEx Garage innovation workspace, and work on next-generation apps in the Startup Shell, an incubator for student-run startups. The Shell already has generated more than 180 ventures valued at $100 million.
Building Team:
Owner: University of Maryland
Design architect: EYP
Architect of record: EYP
MEP engineer: EYP
Structural engineer: Hope Furrer Associates
General contractor/construction manager: Clark Construction (design-build delivery method)
Related Stories
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
| Jul 18, 2014
Contractors warm up to new technologies, invent new management schemes [2014 Giants 300 Report]
“UAV.” “LATISTA.” “CMST.” If BD+C Giants 300 contractors have anything to say about it, these new terms may someday be as well known as “BIM” or “LEED.” Here’s a sampling of what Giant GCs and CMs are doing by way of technological and managerial innovation.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Construction Management Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, Barton Malow, Hill International top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest construction management and project management firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering/Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
