Facility design and space planning decisions for advanced materials and engineering

The new O'Connor Building for Engineering Science at Rice University boasts state-of-the-art features that nurture the spirit of collaboration and drive progress in engineering education and research. Angie Chen and Jennifer Koranek illustrate design decisions that reflect findings from previous Rice engineering buildings on dynamic environments that foster interdisciplinary pursuits, propel students and researchers, and result in groundbreaking discoveries. They examine the details of spaces and neighborhoods allocated to advanced materials research, core lab, classrooms, and collaborative workspaces -- all designed to converge diverse disciplines and revolutionize the world of engineering.