The primary vision for the WID/MIR project prioritizes researcher interaction as fundamental to the success of the facility; SEED is central to the pursuit of this goal. The project, slated for completion in the fall of 2010, will feature four above-grade levels with the lower level being used as a town center topped by three floors of research. In addition, a basement level will be used for research that mandates low vibration, high bays, and other special requirements, while the sixth floor will be the mechanical penthouse. The low building height aims to further enhance collaboration. The facility will accommodate approximately 425 researchers, research assistants, and staff members.

The project is funded by the State of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and John and Tashia Morgridge. John Morgridge founded and was CEO of Cisco Systems.

“Research, education, and outreach are key components of this project,” says Craig Spangler, AIA, design principal for Ballinger. “The scenario of being able to do private research allows researchers at the campus to work with businesses and advance breakthroughs toward commercialization if they so choose. The spaces outside the lab are as important as the spaces in the lab relative to discovery.”

Performing complex biomedical research requires an interdisciplinary environment where collaboration and interaction are critical to achieving scientific breakthroughs. The WID/MIR is designed not only to foster interaction among researchers, but also to provide space for symposia and educational events, as well as community functions.

Being able to build a top-notch research facility that also offers public opportunities made it essential that an appropriate site was selected to construct the WID/MIR. The facility will be located in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, surrounded by related sciences, including physics, chemistry, engineering, genetics/biotech, biochemistry, and medical sciences.

“Having all of these sciences around the site provides an opportunity for a wide variety of researchers to come to the facility and increases the possibility of interaction,” says Spangler. “This demonstrates the importance of flow, or having crossroads and pathways to connect these people as they move back and forth between the sciences.”

A town center is an important aspect of the project, serving as a way to engage the public by providing educational and entertainment opportunities. The SEED principle of placemaking is observed in the facility’s design by creating thick space in the town center. It will offer plenty of activities to draw in people, including a major space for public events, a restaurant, coffee shop, ice cream shop, conference rooms, an atrium, a garden area, and retail locations.

The interior of the town center will have a forum with moveable walls to enhance flexibility, plenty of natural light, noise mitigation with the use of water features, and the ability to capture people’s imaginations by displaying some of the research occurring on the above floors.

Wayfinding throughout the building, a component of perceptual access, will be achieved by giving various programs specific colors and using other distinctions to create a strong mental image for users, minimizing the need for signage.

Positive territoriality is built into the design by defining research neighborhoods. In particular, there will be three research neighborhoods, or pods, on each of the three floors. Each neighborhood will accommodate three to five principal investigators, meaning there can be nine to 15 investigators working on each floor. There will be one pod in the WID side, one in the MIR side and the third will be in the shared zone in the middle of the two parallel structures. Both institutes will embrace research across a vast range of disciplines, from engineering and computer science, to biologically-focused sciences, to social sciences.

Research assistants will be located around the research pods. The assistants’ work stations are not in rooms, but rather are part of the overall environment. Draws, such as the pantry, administrative assistants’ spaces, copy room, seminar room, and stairs, are located in the center to encourage interaction as people move through these areas. The WID/MIR does not have corridors, but rather streams, eddies, and communicating stairs to further foster collaboration as people pass on these walkways.

“It’s intuitive in the concept of comfortable density,” says Spangler. “We believe we provided sufficient space to be able to connect people while at the same time providing space where they can feel some degree of individuality.”

Transparency is an important aspect of the design and sight lines connect one pod to another. The chance to “see and be seen” is essential in an interdisciplinary environment, but a necessary degree of privacy will be provided with adjustable window shades.

An important goal of spatial relations is achieved by ensuring that each research neighborhood is no more than 70 feet apart. Studies show that communication dissipates if individuals are more than 70 feet away from each other on the same floor.

“This project has international aspirations and it’s important to understand how all aspects are connected,” says Spangler.

T.C.