RALEIGH—The Fitts-Wollard Hall has thrown open its doors to students following a collaboration between North Carolina State University and Clark Nexsen, who acted as both the architect and engineer on the project. The $150 million, 225,000-square-foot engineering building sits on the college’s Centennial Campus, which is largely devoted to scientific research.

Fitts-Wollard Hall represents the latest iteration in the college’s Think and Do campaign, meant to marry prominent ideas with practical execution. Accordingly, the new building is meant to showcase “engineering on display” via extensive glass windows allowing more sunlight to penetrate the interior of the four-story building. Entry lobbies at the south and north ends of the building are connected to one another via open corridors that allow passersby to peer directly into the engineering labs.

The Fitts-Woolard Hall represents the first time NC State has utilized a public-private partnership to underwrite constructing an academic building. Half of the funding came from a 2016 bond referendum and the rest from private donors—the most prominent of whom were alumni Edward P. Fitts Jr. and Edgar S. Woolard Jr., whose $25M joint gift was recognized with naming rights.

“Fitts-Woolard Hall is an engineering hub that provides critical infrastructure for catalyzing new innovations and developing tomorrow’s workforce,” NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson commented.

Flanking the engineering building’s south entry are a structural testing lab, senior student project space and large-scale driving simulator, all of which are visible as people walk through the building. The building’s educational spaces and openly visible structural engineering elements are meant to inspire students and educators to look to the future at tomorrow’s challenges.

“The concept of engineering on display takes the work being done inside the building and celebrates it by making it visible,” Clark Nexsen principal Shann Rushing said of this paradigm. “You get a visual connection to the research and instruction happening in the building.

“The steel-plated monumental stairs have an exposed truss design that is structurally expressive,” Rushing added. “The stairs weave upward alongside a feature wall designed to reflect the diverse engineering studies housed in the building. The form of the stairs also creates a variety of gathering and collaboration spaces.”

Fitts-Woolard Hall will bring together under one roof the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering and the Fitts Department of Industrial and System Engineering. The hall will offer 100 classrooms and laboratories. Additionally, teaching and research spaces in the building will support global tech firms in sectors including manufacturing, robotics and sensor technology, transportation and logistics, and bioengineering. On the second floor, an open area known as the “hearth” will allow for student-faculty interaction.

The engineering building’s campus neighbor is the James B. Hunt Jr. Library, designed by Clark Nexsen and Snøhetta.

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GRAYSLAKE,Ill. ­— The College of Lake County (CLC) recently announced that its Science & Engineering Building has achieved LEED Platinum, the highest level of certification achievable with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.

The 42,000-square-foot Science & Engineering Building, which opened in January 2018 at the college’s Grayslake Campus, houses mechatronics, photonics and chemistry classrooms and laboratories. Among its sustainable features are photovoltaic solar panels, green roofs of planted vegetation, a geothermal heating and cooling system and energy efficient fume hoods in chemistry labs, according to David Husemoller, CLC sustainability manager. Other features include LED lighting, and daylight harvesting, in which generous window space in each room gathers natural light, reducing the need for electrical lighting.

“We are honored to earn LEED Platinum certification,” said CLC President Lori Suddick. “As CLC’s first LEED Platinum building, the Science & Engineering Building embodies the college’s commitment to and integration of environmental, economic and social sustainability in its operations and academic programs. The building serves as a living laboratory, inspiring students to learn sustainability practices they can use in their future career fields.”

The Science & Engineering Building is designed to reduce building energy use by 66 percent compared to a standard science building of similar size, Husemoller said. The building’s rainwater recovery system collects rain in an underground tank and uses it for flushing of toilets and urinals, reducing potable water use by 41 percent.

Financing for the $24.9 million building came from the Illinois Capitol Development Board and local funds. “This honor of LEED Platinum is the result of years of planning and dedication with college partners Legat Architects, the Illinois Capital Development Board and others,” said Husemoller.

Before construction, Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI) did an energy model that assessed energy conservation measures and their impact on annual energy use and cost. One result of that study is the south façade with its large windows that provide the appropriate amount of daylight into the labs.

The entire building and most of its interior were analyzed to optimize daylighting, reduce glare, and improve thermal performance. The most interesting and not so obvious element is the self-shading façade concept developed by Legat as early as 2008. The shading solution uses extended mullion caps to control light, heat, and glare at virtually no additional cost, and helps fill the academic spaces with an abundance of natural light.

The team recognized that, in order to attain LEED Platinum for a lab building, an east/west orientation was a must to respond to the sun’s seasonal changes in elevation. When the sun is higher in summer, the exterior shades above the windows act like visors and prevent sunlight from hitting windows to reduce solar heat gain. In winter, labs get solar heat gain because the lower sun shines beneath the shades.

Legat’s Jeffrey Sronkoski, principal and director of higher education, said, “From the very onset of the project, the college’s leaders were intent on making the Science and Engineering Building a model of sustainability. Not only did they accomplish their objective, but they also showed that achieving LEED Platinum for science buildings is no longer the holy grail it once was.”

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CYPRESS, Calif. — Sundt Construction, Inc. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for Cypress College’s new Science, Engineering and Math (SEM) Building.

The new $80 million SEM building will replace the current outdated structure with a new complex that includes 22 classrooms, 25 laboratories, faculty offices, support spaces and a highly advanced, 100-seat domed immersive digital classroom.

When completed, the 106,023-square-foot facility will be the first new instructional space to open on the campus since 1976 and the first new building since 2007.

“We have a proven track record working with community colleges,” said Robert Stokes, vice president and Irvine regional director for Sundt’s Building Group, California District. “Education is essential to our community’s prosperity and being a part of this community college project is something we are very proud of.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 22, the NOCCCD Board of Trustees awarded a construction bid to Sundt Companies, Inc. for the construction phase services of the project.

The new SEM building is the first project to break ground under North Orange County Community College District’s $574 million Measure J program, passed by voters in November 2014.

Cypress College’s SEM division contains seven programs, including: biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, mathematics, physical science, and physics. The division currently offers 289 course sections to 8,287 students.

“Cypress College has served the North Orange County students and surrounding communities for over 52 years, and we are thrilled to start construction on this beautiful new addition to our college,” said Cypress College President Dr. JoAnna Schilling. “We take pride in offering exemplary educational programs in science, engineering and math, and are proud to be contributing to the future careers of our students and the local businesses that employ our students.”

The groundbreaking celebration included representatives from Cypress College, North Orange County Community College District, Sundt, LPA Inc., MAAS and Porter Consulting LLC. The new building is slated to open in time for fall semester 2021.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University’s Engineering and Science Building has been awarded LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Located at Garland Street and 25th Avenue, the 230,000-square-foot structure is home to both the Engineering and Science Building, which includes laboratories, classrooms and a state-of-the-art clean room, and Vanderbilt’s Innovation Pavilion, which includes the Wond’ry and its makerspace.

“Receiving gold status shows we are on the right path when we carry out building and renovating on campus,” said Mike Perez, associate vice chancellor of administration for facilities. “Making sure we are approaching these projects with long-term sustainability in mind has been a significant shift since the launch of FutureVU.”

The building opened its doors during the 2016-17 academic year, and includes laboratories, classrooms and a state-of-the-art cleanroom that houses both faculty and student learning and innovation. Its lighting saves energy through LED bulbs as well as occupancy sensors allowing lights to be off except where people are working.

“The Engineering and Science Building is a game-changer for our research enterprise. Its systems enable us to conduct more sensitive experiments,” said Philippe M. Fauchet, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering. “Adding the LEED Gold distinction just reaffirms our commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable building practices.”

The Engineering and Science Building houses the university’s most energy-efficient lab space. During the initial design phase of the building, 3D modeling was used to evaluate conditions of the site such as orientation, heat gain from windows, natural light, and others to ensure optimized design.

“Our goal was to be very thoughtful in the materials used and how we could make sure this building lasts for generations of scholars,” said University Architect Keith Loiseau. “Balancing the tremendous energy needs of the building’s features with our university’s goals of responsible environmental design was the biggest challenge we faced.”

Other green design elements that helped the building achieve its LEED status include:

• Twenty-foot-tall enthalpy wheels to transfer heat and humidity, conditioning the fresh air intake with exhaust air leaving the building
• Chilled beams supplied by hot and cold water used to condition spaces which is more efficient than conditioning with air systems
• A 10,000-gallon cistern to capture rain water for irrigation
• Sunshading frit on glass to optimize natural solar light and to also help prevent bird strikes
• Flexibility of design to allow different lab-type use over time as well as lab renovations without major mechanical systems rework
• Cleanroom energy reduction through occupancy and particle sensors to decrease system use when not needed

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STORRS, Conn. – Governor Dannel P. Malloy, UConn President Susan Herbst, students and researchers gathered recently to celebrate the opening of UConn’s new, state-of-the-art, five-story Science and Engineering building.

Designed by New York City-based Mitchell Giurgola Architects, the $95 million building is a part of UConn’s efforts to expand STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) academia.

The design team worked together to build flexible, highly efficient, generically planned, open labs tailored to multiple science and engineering disciplines.

The facility offers roughly 118,000 square feet of laboratories, with open lab spaces at the perimeter with interior support space, offices and public spaces at the ends of the building, and expression of these elements on the façade with glass curtainwall as well as expression of “servant” spaces such as stairs and penthouses with tile panels.

The School of Engineering designated three floors for housing programs such as robotics, advanced manufacturing that includes, various rugged industrial keyboards in an integrated computing system, cyber physics, virtual and augmented reality, mechatronics, and other fields. The Institute for Systems Genomics consists of two floors, including its Center for Genome Innovation, microbial analysis and resource service, and other programs.

While working on a very constrained site, as well as fielding concerns from some of the faculty regarding the open plan labs, the team was able to proceed and overcome these challenges with careful planning and discussion.

According to Mitchell Giurgola Partner James R. Braddock, AIA, UConn’s new science facility is, to the best of his knowledge, the first example of an open plan engineering lab.

“We have done numerous open plan science labs, but this is our first open plan engineering research lab, where numerous groups do individual projects such as using grinding machines, in a common space,” said Braddock. “We believe this fosters interaction and collaboration among groups and will have a positive effect on research outcomes. It also facilitates changes in space need among groups as research projects begin and end, optimizing space utilization.”

According to Braddock, actual researchers were not chosen until late in the process, but ”proxy” committees were constituted for each of the program groups, and numerous meetings were held with each committee to gain input on the design as it progressed.

Gov. Malloy stated on Twitter that this new building will help drive new innovations in a range of scientific disciplines, expressing the pride of another milestone in the Next Generation Connecticut Initiative, aiding the state’s goal of expanding STEM to promote economic growth.

“This building is the culmination of significant investment by the state of Connecticut in the field of STEM, and in the future of engineering,” Kazem Kazerounian, dean of the School of Engineering said in a statement posted to the school’s website. “Nearly 40 percent of our state’s economy is generated by engineering-related industries, and with our 70 percent increase in engineering enrollment, and significant investment in resources, UConn is providing research, talent, and technology that will pay dividends for decades to come.”

The new UConn building was designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification and to fulfill Connecticut High-Performance Building Standards. It was built by Fusco Corp. of New Haven, Conn., with construction beginning in 2015 and finishing this spring.

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Jack Shepherd is the architectural and industrial product manager for Macton, Oxford, Conn. Macton has been engineering, fabricating, and installing high quality moving structures since the 1950s.

There are two national trends providing the impetus for new school construction. They are increasing student populations as well as the state of existing buildings that are deteriorating, outdated, and in desperate need of repairs. Yet, many districts are finding that limited budgets and/or land scarcity issues are stonewalling their construction efforts. For schools willing to rethink their design options; however, money and space concerns are being resolved, and quality, learning environments are being realized. By incorporating cost-efficient, multi-use devices, such as Turntable Divisional Auditoriums (TDAs), districts nationwide are satisfying budgets, optimizing space, and adding functionality today and for the future.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school enrollment has been steadily rising since 1985. In fact, between 1985 and 2010, enrollment for kindergarten through 12th grade rose 25 percent, from 39.4 million to 49.4 million. Also climbing however, are building costs. The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) through McGraw Hill Construction reports building costs per square foot are on an upward swing. For example, the average, elementary school construction costs went from $185.37 per square foot in 2010 to $194.60 in 2011, and senior high costs rose from $204.44 to $210.83. Though perhaps insignificant at first glance, numbers like these add up quickly and can be particularly hard to swallow for districts already facing tight budgets. Additionally, according to the 21st Century School Fund, the average K-12 school building in the United Sates is 40 years old. This means new school building construction isn’t just a concern today, but is likely a reality for many years to come.

To address these issues, districts are looking at alternative design options, especially when it comes to constructing large gathering areas such as auditoriums and performance halls. Though considered essential school building components by most, these cavernous spaces require large amounts of land, and consume as much as 90 percent of a school’s energy costs. With this in mind, many districts looking to lower costs and reduce their building footprint are turning to TDAs.

Although at first glance TDAs appear practically space-age, their turntable machinery has been around for 60 years, from automobile shows to revolving restaurants. Though the basic principal remains the same today, in regards to schools, TDAs provide much more than rotating platforms.

To understand how a TDA operates, first picture a typical school auditorium. With rows and rows of stationery chairs and a stage at one end, there is no wiggle room for change. The seating arrangement is static, and the entire space must be heated or cooled every time it’s utilized. Now picture an auditorium where some seats are stationery, while others are positioned on a circular platform (TDA) that can swivel forward for additional seating or swiveled away to reduce the seating capacity. TDAs offer this flexibility and depending upon how many are installed and how wide the platform, they can reconfigure a room to accommodate various audience sizes. Additionally, when turned away from the main portion of the room, with their sound-proof back wall, every TDA becomes a separate classroom, lecture hall, or practice area. However, this multi-functional capability is just the beginning.

As part of a new school construction, TDAs are also cost and land-use efficient. For instance, Kentlake High School in Kent Washington installed two 125 seat TDAs in their 600-seat auditorium, resulting in up to three available educational areas at any given time. By maximizing their available space, Kentlake furthermore eliminated the need for 2,500 additional square feet required for a traditional auditorium, cutting their construction costs significantly. In fact, a study conducted by BLRB Architects, P.S., concluded the school saved 6.3 percent in overall construction costs by installing the multi-functional TDAs. In addition to construction savings, every time the school utilizes the individual TDA thermostats for classes and small groups, instead of heating and cooling the entire auditorium, they reduce their energy costs.

TDAs additionally increase auditorium usage due to their sound-proof, back wall design. According to Jimmie Byrd, Senior Production Coordinator at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Chandler Arizona "You get more bang for the buck when you can do bigger shows and smaller shows, but you can also do multiple shows.” With two TDAs, the Chandler Center hosts close to 700 events a year (most occurring simultaneously), relying heavily on the TDAs sound-insulated performance areas. Another example is The Ernest Stroud Hall in the Fine Arts Magnet High School in Jonesboro Georgia. Utilizing two TDAs, one with 250 seats and the other 350, The Hall is one of Atlanta’s largest auditoriums, often hosting several hundred events every year. For area schools, the increased functionality provided by the TDAs makes scheduling a dream. But additionally, The Hall’s flexible seating arrangement is ideal for community events and performances and provides an important connection between the school and community.

For today’s school district personnel, the struggle to keep pace with increasing student populations, while juggling tight budgets and limited land options, often produces more stress than action. With the additional need to replace outdated buildings, many districts are seeking more educated construction options for new builds and discovering multi-use, energy-efficient designs are just the ticket. By incorporating unique and practical designs such as TDAs into construction plans, districts nationwide are providing flexible learning environments for their schools and communities and receiving high marks for their efforts.

For more information, please call (203) 267-1500 x231 or send email to jshepherd@macton.com. Website: www.macton.com.

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