Designed to foster collaboration, the George Washington University Science and Engineering Hall stands before you. This impressive structure embodies GW’s commitment to cutting-edge research. It is the largest academic building of its kind in Washington DC.
Spanning an entire city block, the Engineering Building offers 750000 square feet of space. It is the first major laboratory building on campus in over 50 years. Before its construction, research and teaching spaces were scattered across a dozen buildings. Now, they are united under one roof.
Completed in 2014, the Science and Engineering Hall brought together diverse science and engineering programs. This nearly doubled the space available for these disciplines. Ballinger Architects designed the building. Clark Construction managed the build.
The building encourages interdisciplinary partnerships. Departments are arranged in research neighborhoods. Laboratories and offices for different disciplines are placed next to each other. These areas surround a collaboration space, pantry, and spiral stair.
Spaces for gathering and interaction are found throughout the Science and Engineering Hall. These include internal gardens highlighted by green walls. Informal group spaces, a large commons area, and meeting and study rooms are also available.
The building’s neutral palette is accented with bursts of color. This energizes the space and assists in wayfinding. A transparent teaching tower extends through the upper teaching and research floors. The maple underside of the teaching tower brings warmth to the atrium.
The university challenged the architects to design the Engineering Building. The goal was to avoid multiplying GW’s carbon footprint. The result is an eco-friendly academic building. Sustainable features include power from a co-generation system. Enthalpy wheels, chilled beams, and a green roof are also incorporated. The green roof has vegetation covering more than 10000 square feet.
The Lighting Practice designed the lighting for the Science and Engineering Hall. They developed a lighting system that highlights destinations. This clarifies circulation for improved wayfinding. Lighting also plays an important role in plant health. Multiple green walls and gardens promote occupant health and a connection to the outdoors.
The facility includes teaching spaces and specialized lab facilities. These include a three-story high-bay structures lab. A nanofabrication suite is also present. The GW Nanofabrication and Nanomaterials Instrumentation Center has a suite here.
Within the Engineering Building, the GWNIC suite features a Class 100 Clean Room. An adjacent Microscopy Facility is also available. Special construction techniques reduce vibrations. Passive and active shielding protects against electromagnetic interference. This allows researchers to study nanometer-sized samples in detail. They can even create 3-D reconstructions of specimens.
The Engineering Building achieved LEED Gold certification in 2015. It has also won several awards for its design and construction. These awards recognize excellence in construction, craftsmanship, and sustainable design.
As you stand here, consider the collaborative spirit and innovative research happening within. The George Washington University Science and Engineering Hall is more than just a building. It is a hub of discovery. It is a place where the future is being engineered.