Building the Quantum future: Designing Cornell’s Duffield Complex for ECE and Quantum Information Science

As quantum information science emerges as a defining research frontier, universities are reimagining engineering facilities to support both established and emerging disciplines within unified, flexible environments. This session presents Cornell University’s Duffield Hall Expansion, which transforms two existing buildings into a cohesive complex housing the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, a state-of-the-art Quantum Information Science Technology (QIST) research facility, and strong programmatic connections to Cornell’s NanoScale Facility and Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. Presenters explore design strategies for flexible shared quantum labs, adaptable instructional spaces, and spatial connections that reinforce interdisciplinary collaboration across one of the nation’s leading engineering programs.