The new home of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, designed by Perkins+Will, opened at the University at Buffalo. Co-locating the departments of computer science and electrical engineering in a single facility, the 133,000-sf Barbara and Jack Davis Hall creates an collaborative education and research environment.
Clad in glass and copper-colored panels, the three-story building thrusts outward from the core of the campus to establish a new identity for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the campus at large. Formerly scattered among seven different locations, the engineering campus is now focused and consolidated, with a defined “front door” for the school and a new quad and interior common spaces.??
Davis Hall will enable the University at Buffalo to expand research in nanotechnology, pattern recognition and bio-based security systems, among other fields. The hybrid design of the hall stresses the value of interactive space for learning and discovery. The building is organized around a glass-enclosed, multi-story gallery that facilitates pedestrian traffic into the existing campus, creates an interactive educational/research environment, and culminates in a multi-tiered student lounge that activates a new courtyard shared with the existing Marcel Breuer buildings.
Facing south, the glass gallery is a daylight-filled science commons that includes open staircases that allow for spontaneous student and staff interaction. It also comprises a series of interlocking volumes that include windows into laboratories for the active display of technological research. Throughout the building, which also houses the Center of Excellence in Document Analysis and Recognition (CEDAR) and the Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors (CUBS), cross-disciplinary zones are distributed for informal gathering spaces equipped with SMART Boards.
The new hall is tracking for USGBC LEED Gold certification through features like enhanced building shell insulation, high-performance windows and energy efficient lighting, the building improves overall energy performance 33.8% above the baseline ASHRAE 90.1-2004 requirements. +
Related Stories
| Aug 16, 2014
Decoupling the professional services firm
Business consultant Tim Williams authored a recent LinkedIn post that highlights the emerging trend among professional services firms toward “decoupling,” or consciously separating the high-value services that are scarce from the low-value services that are plentiful. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Aug 16, 2014
The science of learning: Designing the STEM learning facilities of the future
New technology and changing pedagogies are influencing how to best teach a generation of learners who have never known a world without smartphones or tablets, writes HOK's Kimberly Robidoux.
| Aug 16, 2014
Calatrava in hot water again? Famed architect charged to appear in court in Spanish construction case
The Valencia High Court has requested documents detailing how Calatrava was hired in private, without any publicity, for a convention center project in Castellon. For contracts over a certain minimum value, that is illegal in Spain.
| Aug 15, 2014
First look: RMJM’s 'jumping fish' tower design for the Chinese Riviera
The tower's fish-jumping gesture is meant to symbolize the prosperity and rapid transformation of Zhuhai, China.
| Aug 15, 2014
Periscope structure gives public toilet an unobstructed sea view
Polish architect Adam Wiercinski designs a public toilet with a periscope mechanism that gives visitors unobstructed views of the sea.
| Aug 14, 2014
8 do's and don'ts for completing an HVAC life cycle cost assessment
There are many hurdles to overcome when completing a life cycle cost assessment. RMF Engineering’s Seth Spangler offers some words of advice regarding LCCAs.
| Aug 14, 2014
Life cycle cost analysis using energy modeling
A life cycle cost analysis helps a school district decide which HVAC system to use in $198 million worth of future building projects.
| Aug 14, 2014
Museum of Mayan Culture draws inspiration from temple design [slideshow]
The Museo Maya de América in Guatemala City will be the world’s largest museum of Mayan history and culture, at 60,000 sf.
| Aug 14, 2014
How workplace design can empower employees, businesses
Focusing on recent work at Follett and Zurich, CannonDesign’ Meg Osman reveals the power of research, strategy, change management, and measurement to transform businesses for the better.
| Aug 13, 2014
UIA commits to phasing out CO2 emissions in built environment
The International Union of Architects, representing approximately 2.3 million architects worldwide, has unanimously adopted the 2050 Imperative committing to environmental and social sustainability.