"Science buildings often represent larger aspirations within the academic environment," observes Elise Woodward, principal in the architectural office of Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott (SBRA) in Boston. "Science transforms people's ideas about what is possible in this world. It is important to make scientific inquiry tangible, so science students and faculty can effectively communicate what they are doing and how it is meaningful in the larger world."

Many of the features that accomplish this mission are exemplified in two recent SBRA projects: the 77,000-gsf Johns Hopkins University Computational Science and Engineering Building (CSEB), first occupied in fall 2007; and Colgate University's 120,000-gsf Robert H. N. Ho Science Center, completed around the same time.

Johns Hopkins CSEB

Together with another new building, the CSEB is the focal point of a new campus portal specifically designed to showcase the engineering prowess at Johns Hopkins (JHU). Electrical, mechanical, and biomedical engineers; computer and materials scientists; applied mathematicians; and faculty in the cognitive sciences from the Schools of Arts and Sciences—all occupy the CSEB in an organizational scheme that transcends traditional departmental boundaries. Faculty are grouped in four specific areas of interest: the Laboratory for Computational and Sensing Robotics, Center for Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technologies, Institute for Computational Medicine, and Center for Language and Speech Processing. The building also includes an electrical and computer engineering teaching lab.

"One of the key features we wanted to incorporate was a sense of transparency," states JHU's Marc Donohue, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and vice dean for Research for the Whiting School of Engineering.

To that end, the building has a lot of windows, the centerpiece of which lines an open breezeway along the path of a main campus thoroughfare. Windows on one side look into one of the building's most dramatic spaces, a mock operating room outfitted for robotic surgery, part of the Center for Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technologies.

"Passers-by can easily see what's going on inside as surgical robots drill into a mannequin's skull or pelvis," Donohue comments, noting that the area was designed to be both a congregating point for people in engineering and a social hub for the campus.

A parallel use of interior windows and glass panels carries the transparency inside, allowing glimpses into classrooms, labs, and conference rooms from the corridor or balconies, again drawing people into the diverse activities of the building.

"You can see directly from labs into faculty offices and the other way around. There's a real sense of intimacy, and a sense that the labs and the offices are all connected," Donohue remarks.

Another universal attraction, and a stopping point on all campus tours, is a 70-foot-long multimedia display of landmark engineering accomplishments at Johns Hopkins. The modular exhibits translate the innovations into real-world contributions in areas like human health, safety, and the social fabric, again bringing science closer to casual passers-by. Adding to its appeal, the display is situated along a main corridor with gathering space overlooking the high-bay Computational and Sensing Robotics lab, typically enlivened by students, faculty, and a dozen working robots.

A Continuum of Collaboration

The glass and openness support JHU's characteristic non-hierarchical culture, which makes no clear distinction between undergraduates and graduate students.

"The research environment in particular is very much a continuum," says Donohue. "About 70 percent of undergraduates spend one or more years doing research with the faculty. In my own labs, I have experienced undergraduate students train my incoming graduate students."

Several small, "thoughtful" gathering places throughout the CSEB also promote the continuum of collaboration. Shared conference rooms and clusters of chairs with side arms for writing or lounge chairs and tables foster opportunities for cross-talk among the building's user groups. White boards and corkboards line every open space along the corridors.

"You walk down the hall and see equations and diagrams everywhere on the walls. The whole building is covered with red, green, and blue ink on the inside," Donohue notes.

A building-wide scheme based on a 220-sf module maximizes flexibility and adaptability, making it easy to reconfigure space based on the needs of the tenant group.

"We have already redesigned some spaces and moved things around," he relates. "We're very happy with the way it has worked out."

Colgate's Robert H.N. Ho Science Center

Colgate's Robert H.N. Ho Science Center houses the environmental studies, geography, geology, and physics and astronomy departments and programs, and part of the biology department. The design strategy deliberately organizes occupancy of teaching labs, research labs, and faculty offices in an interdisciplinary fashion that avoids departmental silos, allowing researchers on the same project to be located near each other, despite differing disciplines.

"Laboratories are intentionally diversified, with geology next to biology next to environmental studies or physics," Woodward indicates.

Faculty offices clustered at the ends of the building's corridors multiply opportunities for interdisciplinary encounters as occupants travel past the various labs and classrooms. A centrally located mail room also encourages casual interaction. Departmental camaraderie is maintained through the presence of clearly identified departmental offices, spread throughout the facility.

The Ho Center also places a premium on openness and visibility. A "visualization lab" that started as a planetarium and now includes an IMAX theater is part of a deliberate effort to draw in the wider school community.

The building entrance leads to a double-height atrium that offers expansive views for occupants at either level. Immediately visible from the entry, teaching labs have interior glass windows at the corners, affording a peek into the action inside. According to Woodward, students really love looking into the labs. Some faculty were originally apprehensive about potential distractions, but their concern was resolved by orienting labs so in didactic mode students are facing away from the corner.

"We've designed glass corners in several different science buildings, and we know that visibility benefits science overall," she comments.

 24-Hour Environments

The Center's collaborative spaces have proven to be wildly popular. Woodward indicates that, in the past, this type of real estate might have been eliminated in value engineering because it was not felt to relate directly to teaching and learning, but experience has overturned this assumption.

Lounge areas distributed throughout the building have been designed to help make students "feel at home." Tucked into the ends of corridors, group study areas with window seats and bountiful natural light attract occupancy around the clock, a sign of their comfort as well as an operational advantage.

"These are very expensive buildings that take a lot of energy to operate," observes Woodward. "It is beneficial to the university to have them highly functioning at all hours of the day, and not dormant at night. There are energy benefits for running the mechanical systems around the clock."

Flexibility in the labs is another important feature, not just to accommodate changing user needs but also in response to today's shift in science teaching methods toward hands-on learning. Woodward emphasizes that the more practical, tactile experience students have with their own research, the stronger the mental imprint. As a result, most labs now (other than organic chemistry and those requiring intensive hard-wired services like water and gas) are designed with movable benches or tables so the space can be reconfigured. In dry labs, the furniture is usually on wheels.

Lessons Learned

The science buildings have both wireless and hard wired data ports, but, as Woodward observes, "the fact is that students and faculty members carry their technology in their pockets." Such pervasive usage has several facility implications. For example, Johns Hopkins discovered that an extremely robust projection system is a must-have for its main seminar room, as multiple students seek to project work from their own laptops simultaneously. These capabilities might be common in media classrooms, she says, but so far have not appeared in science buildings.

"Student feedback told us that they needed projection screens on all walls and the ability for everyone to plug in at same time, so they don't have to slow down their conversations and wait for someone else to connect," Woodward reports. "What's needed is either white walls or projection screens on all surfaces, and projectors facing all directions."

Another, more general finding is that with wireless connectivity so widespread, traditional data ports appear to be diminishing in importance—and perhaps are no longer cost-justified. Power outlets, however, are still in high demand.

** So is sustainability. Both the CSEB and the Ho Center were designed considering LEED criteria, but neither applied for certification. Sustainable elements include high performing exterior envelopes, heat recovery, materials with a high percentage of recycled content, low VOCs, native plantings, and reflective roofs. Such features are increasingly sought-after among incoming student bodies.

Value engineering at Colgate occasioned a few casualties that are missed in retrospect. Individual thermostats in faculty offices were eliminated in favor of one control for groups of three or four offices. Some of these lacks can be resolved in the future, such as the back-burnered landscaping and outdoor seating for classes, as well as an inside food kiosk, centrally located to encourage building occupants to cross paths.

Nevertheless, response to the Ho Center has been overwhelmingly positive, and all signs indicate it has accomplished its mission.
"There is no statistical certainty," Woodward cautions, "but the faculty feels the new building has influenced the fact that, in 2008, Colgate had its largest number of applicants in history. More students are planning to major in science, and parents of prospective students are positively influenced by the building."

She concludes with an insightful fund-raising tip: "Build what you can share." Noting that there is always a tension about what is built in a science project, she recommends including spaces that will benefit other groups on campus—the art or theater department, perhaps—as a means of expanding the donor pool.

"Many institutions have had good success finding donors for science buildings, but unique features, like Colgate's visualization lab, funded by Robert Ho, provide special interest."

By Nicole Stahl