As part of an ambitious expansion and renovation campaign, for which it has raised in excess of $125 million, Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich., recently debuted its $16.9 million, 36,700-sf A. Alfred Taubman Engineering, Architecture, and Life Sciences Complex, which is home to the Marburger STEM Center, and provides a collaborative learning environment for emerging technologies such as robotics, biomedical engineering, and mechatronics.
The building, which opened in August, combines the Science and Engineering Buildings. Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, the project’s Design Director, designed the Complex as an “extruable section” of the campus, meaning that it is expandable as needed. Subsequent phases of this project could include an addition to the one-story wing of the Engineering Building, more classrooms and lab space, and expanded resources for programs such as Architectural Engineering and Industrial Design.
Two floors of labs overlook an open flex space that’s the heart of the Complex, with a reconfigurable hall for meetings and lectures. Clerestory glazing fills this space with light defused with an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) scrim along its east and west facades.
The building establishes a new axis for the campus, as it is linked to neighboring buildings by lifted bridges. It also creates a new focal point for the University’s quad thanks to a 44-foot-high carbon-fiber circulation “orb,” floating above a reflecting pool, which contains a main staircase and marks the entry of the building.
A 44-foot-high orb, the entry to the Taubman Complex, includes an interior stairwell with translucent floors that let in natural light. Image: ©Nic Lehoux
The orb is capped at both ends by circular skylights that let sunlight in through translucent floors of the stairwell. To accommodate the design of the curved structure, Albert Kahn Associates, the project’s AOR and EOR, oversaw the rigorous testing and manufacturing processes to achieve a first-of-its-kind carbon fiber composite formulation and application. (Kahn includes several LTU alumni, including Alan Cobb, FAIA, the firm’s president and CEO, who was Executive Architect on this project.)
The carbon fiber is layered with wedge shapes, like a football, which allows the orb to maintain its structural integrity.
Professional Engineering Association served as the civil engineering consultant on the project. The Mannick & Smith Group provided geotechnical advice. The building is shooting for LEED Silver certification.
The new building includes a large, flexible open space with a reconfigurable hall for meetings and conferences. Image: ©Nic Lehoux
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Cooper Union academic building designed to reach LEED Platinum
Morphosis Architects and Gruzen Samton are collaborating on an ultra-green academic building for New York’s Cooper Union that is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The program for the nine-story facility mixes state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms, a multipurpose auditorium, and a range of public and social spaces.
| Aug 11, 2010
Utah research facility reflects Native American architecture
A $130 million research facility is being built at University of Utah's Salt Lake City campus. The James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building—a USTAR Innovation Center—is being designed by the Atlanta office of Lord Aeck & Sargent, in association with Salt-Lake City-based Architectural Nexus.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction begins on Louisiana State Sports Hall of Fame
Heavy construction and foundation work has started on the new Louisiana State Sports Hall of Fame and Regional History Museum in Natchitoches, La. Designed by Trahan Architects, Baton Rouge, the $12 million, 28,000-sf museum will be clad in sinker cypress planks as a nod to the region’s rich timber legacy and to help control light, views, and ventilation throughout the facility.
| Aug 11, 2010
Modest recession for education construction
Construction spending for education expanded modestly but steadily through March, while at the same time growth for other institutional construction had stalled earlier in 2009. Education spending is now at or near the peak for this building cycle. The value of education starts is off 9% year-to-date compared to 2008.
| Aug 11, 2010
Perkins Eastman awarded Indian School of Business campus
The New York office of Perkins Eastman has been commissioned by the Indian School of Business for a 70-acre, 1.5 million-sf new business school campus as part of a 300-acre “Knowledge City” in Chandigarh, Mohali, India. The sustainable campus will accommodate four centers of excellence: healthcare management, public policy, manufacturing/operations, and physical infrastructure manag...
| Aug 11, 2010
Opening night close for Kent State performing arts center
The curtain opens on the Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center at Kent State University in early 2010, giving the New Philadelphia, Ohio, school a 1,100-seat multipurpose theater. The team of Legat & Kingscott of Columbus, Ohio, and Schorr Architects of Dublin, Ohio, designed the 50,000-sf facility with a curving metal and glass façade to create a sense of movement and activity.
| Aug 11, 2010
Residence hall designed specifically for freshman
Hardin Construction Company's Austin, Texas, office is serving as GC for the $50 million freshman housing complex at the University of Houston. Designed by HADP Architecture, Austin, the seven-story, 300,000-sf facility will be located on the university's central campus and have 1,172 beds, residential advisor offices, a social lounge, a computer lab, multipurpose rooms, a fitness center, and a...
| Aug 11, 2010
University of Florida's traditionally modern graduate building
The University of Florida's Hough Hall Graduate Studies Building was designed by Rowe Architects, Tampa, and Sasaki Associates, Boston, to blend with the school's traditional collegiate gothic architecture outside, but reflect a 21st-century education facility inside. Tallahassee-based Ajax Building Corporation is constructing the $19 million facility, which will have traditional exterior detai...
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction under way on LEED Platinum DOE energy lab
Centennial, Colo.-based Haselden Construction has topped out the $64 million Research Support Facilities, located on the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus in Golden, Colo. Designed by RNL and Stantec to achieve LEED Platinum certification and net zero energy performance, the 218,000-sf facility will feature natural ventilation through operable ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Stimulus funding helps get NOAA project off the ground
The award-winning design for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new Southwest Fisheries Science Center replacement laboratory saw its first sign of movement last month with a groundbreaking ceremony held in La Jolla, Calif. The $102 million project is funded primarily by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.