Facilities that integrate previously-siloed disciplines are unlocking space and program synergies, enhancing recruitment initiatives, and equipping students for tomorrow’s interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial problem solving. Vic Tortorelli examines strategic opportunities, decision-making, and post-occupancy results from Ursinus College’s new Innovation and Discovery Center (IDC), which was designed within the context of an extensive master planning study of the College’s science facilities.  Vic profiles teaching and research labs linking biology with other disciplines, such as psychology, biochemistry, and health and exercise physiology. He describes the design of active-learning classrooms, support spaces, and interdisciplinary centers incorporated within the IDC. 

The benefits of collaborative science have triggered an interdisciplinary science and engineering building boom pressing institutions toward program convergence, shared physical resources, open workspace, and team-based research and education. But is this facility direction the right choice for your institution? Session leaders contrast the decision making and planning strategies that determined the designs of two distinct science facilities at University of Massachusetts, Amherst – one dedicated-science building and one built for trans-disciplinary groups. They detail benefits and pitfalls for each approach, illustrate solutions for unexpected mid-project changes, and deliver post-occupancy findings. 

New intelligent technologies that combine control and management of HVAC, containment, lighting, and daylighting in a single platform are enabling organizations to move beyond the traditional (and costly) “lab as energy consumer” approach to a holistic operating efficiency strategy. Paul Fuson demonstrates the advantages of Siemens’ Total Room Automation for Life Science in engaging building operators, energy managers, EHS officers, lab managers, and scientists to significantly impact energy consumption, operations, safety and compliance. He illustrates new technology implementations, and new ways of using old technologies, to monitor utilization, improve interaction of lab occupants and building systems, and deliver safe and efficient buildings.

MIT’s Media Lab is the granddaddy of successful industry/academic maker spaces. Keys to its long-term viability include a proven discovery model and enough facility flexibility to support the demands of highly creative minds from a wide variety of disciplines. Jessica Tsymbal identifies facility design elements, infrastructure features, and operating strategies that have kept Media Lab on the leading edge including its corporate sponsorship model, space allocation strategies, training prerequisites, occupancy expectations, and material and equipment flow. She illustrates solutions for accommodating the type of unique, short-term, and resource-demanding projects common to today’s collaborative research.