In 2012, the 90,000-sf Molecular Engineering and Sciences Building was completed on the University of Washington Campus. This past summer, the five-story, 78,000-sf Nanoengineering and Sciences Building was completed. The two connected buildings make up a 168,000-sf complex that accommodates growth in the molecular engineering and nanoengineering fields, responds to the evolving interdisciplinary nature of teaching and research, and fits within a historic, high-density area of the UW campus.
The new $87.8 million, ZGF Architects-designed nanoengineering building will house the UW Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems and is specifically equipped for the performance or organic, inorganic, and biomolecular synthesis. The limestone, aluminum and glass curtain wall facility can accommodate students and faculty in a variety of nanoengineering disciplines such as energy, materials science, computation, and medicine.
Photo: Aaron Leitz Photography.
Flexibility of space was a driver for both phases of the complex. Research labs were designed to adapt as the equipment, research, and faculty change. Overhead service carriers above the lab benches allow for researchers to “plug and play” in any location. At the end of each lab there are rooms that can be arranged to house large equipment or specialty research spaces.
In addition to the labs, the new building also includes general-purpose classrooms, conference rooms, and collaboration spaces. Floors two through four are programmed research laboratory spaces. The first floor includes two highly adaptable classrooms and a shared, informal learning center.
Because the nanoengineering building has mainly southern and northern exposures, ZGF needed a strategy to address the added heat loads to the building due to the different orientation from phase one. Radiant flooring is used for heating and cooling purposes and chilled sails are used in the ceilings along the south wall of the office spaces. The units are ceiling-mounted and flush to the ceiling plane.
Photo: Aaron Leitz Photography.
The new facility incorporates numerous sustainability features such as rain gardens and green roofs planted with vegetation to attract native bees. Stormwater runoff will be directed to the roof gardens to reduce runoff to additional drainage systems.
One of the more unique sustainable features is the use of phase-change materials (PCM). PCM is a gel that becomes warm and liquid during the day and solidifies at night. It is encapsulated in walls and ceiling panels of the naturally ventilated spaces and reduces temperature as it changes material states. The PCM is composed of an inorganic material base and is “charged” at night when windows to office spaces are automatically opened to provide a flush of cool air. The PCM has been shown to reduce the temperature around 1.5 to 2 degrees during peek times on the hottest days of the year.
Photo: Aaron Leitz Photography.
The building team included Hoffman Construction Company (GC), KPFF (civil engineering, structural engineering), AEI (MEP), Site Workshop (landscape architecture), Research Facilities Design (lab planning), and Studio SC (graphics, wayfinding signage).
Photo: Aaron Leitz Photography.
Photo: Aaron Leitz Photography.
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 11, 2014
$44.5 million Centennial Hall opens at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Centennial Hall houses the College of Education and Human Sciences and consolidates teacher education. It is the first new academic building on the UW-Eau Claire campus in more than 30 years.
| Jul 10, 2014
Berkeley Lab opens 'world's most comprehensive building efficiency simulator'
DOE’s new FLEXLAB is a first-of-its-kind simulator that lets users test energy-efficient building systems individually or as an integrated system, under real-world conditions.
| Jul 9, 2014
Harvard Business School to build large-scale conference center
Expected to open in 2018, the facility will combine the elements of a large-scale conference center, a performance space, and an intimate community forum. The new building will be designed by Boston-based William Rawn and Associates.
| Jul 7, 2014
7 emerging design trends in brick buildings
From wild architectural shapes to unique color blends and pattern arrangements, these projects demonstrate the design possibilities of brick.
Sponsored | | Jul 7, 2014
Channel glass illuminates science at the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco’s new John Lo Schiavo Center for Science and Innovation brings science to the forefront of academic life. Its glossy, three-story exterior invites students into the facility, and then flows sleekly down into the hillside where below-grade laboratories and classrooms make efficient use of space on the landlocked campus.
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jun 30, 2014
Research finds continued growth of design-build throughout United States
New research findings indicate that for the first time more than half of projects above $10 million are being completed through design-build project delivery.
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
