This renovation transforms an outdated 1960’s science building into a modern research facility and recruitment cornerstone, attracting students and faculty to collaborative programs in biology, chemistry, geoscience, and physics. The new design showcases the liberating potential of severe limitations and problem-solving to meet current needs in an existing structure. Overall, it demonstrates the value of coupling broader campus, cultural, and academic benefits with decarbonization goals when rethinking an existing building.
Constraints include an extremely low floor-to-floor height and a rigid structure of load-bearing concrete exterior and corridor walls limiting daylight and views. Aligning programs along a ‘science loop’ improves circulation and gives each its discipline its own sense of identity. Renovation results in significant embodied carbon savings, estimated to achieve a 60% reduction compared to that of new construction, and is far below the standard EUI for lab buildings. A phased construction approach minimizes research disruptions and keeps at least half of the building usable until completed.
