We are pleased to announce that the Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center at Lafayette College has won an Honor Award from AIA New England.
Envisioned as a vertically connected walk-up science community, the new science center uses a steeply sloping site to conceal much of the program within the historic brick fabric of the existing courtyard. With only three floors above grade, the design solution hides much of the 103,000 SF volume down the hill to fit the existing context both in scale and materiality of the neighboring buildings. A continuous, four-story commons and meandering sculptural stairway vertically link the academic programs and study spaces. Landscaped courtyards, a spatially dynamic atrium and a variety of informal student spaces make the building a destination for the sciences and the entire campus community.
This new home for biology and computer science includes teaching labs, research labs, support spaces, offices, a rooftop greenhouse and an animal facility. The building’s interdisciplinary identity is supported by the centrally located areas for STEM leadership, the Office of Sustainability, Environmental Science and Studies and Neuroscience.
Recognizing that science facilities are traditionally the greatest consumers of energy and natural resources, Lafayette targeted the Rockwell Integrated Science Center to become a beacon of responsible and environmentally sustainable design. The design of this LEED Platinum building was guided by aggressive energy targets set at the start and rigorous energy/performance modelling throughout the process. By replacing their former energy intensive Biology building with this much larger but highly efficient facility, Lafayette reduced their annual carbon footprint by 40% despite adding over 100,000 new square feet to the campus.
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Cape Cod Community College’s Frank and Maureen Wilkens Science and Engineering Center is a net-positive energy building designed to transform the heart of campus.
The project approaches sustainability through a holistic and global approach, implementing a range of moves including passive solar shading overhangs, air-source heat pumps, high performance materials with low embodied carbon and the expansion of the range of thermal comfort and lighting power density. Combined with on-site photovoltaics, the project achieves net-positive energy use.
The project’s thermally modified wood rainscreen façade is a study of the modern expression of vernacular Cape Cod architecture while reducing embodied carbon. Early lifecycle assessments identified the immense carbon savings of wood over fiber cement. The design team did not stop there, furthering reductions by peeling back unnecessary finishes like carpet and ceilings. Together, these decisions enabled a 19% reduction in embodied carbon.
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