the university of notre dame stinson-remick hall
DESCRIPTION
An in-depth examination of the new LEED Gold certified multidisciplinary engineering teaching and research building on the historical University of Notre Dame campus.TRANSCRIPT
StinSon-Remick HallUniveRSity of notRe dame
Notre dame, INdIaNa
Stinson remick Hall uses a historical gothic exterior and modern laboratory environments that allows the University of
Notre dame to maintain tradition while advancing growth for the College of engineering. It is designed in a style directly
representational of existing campus architecture, speaking directly to the university’s guideline of creating buildings that form a
variety of outdoor spaces that weave together the fabric of open space.
The design embraces its prominent Notre Dame Avenue and Debartolo Quad location. Located in a high-traffic area, the
160,000 square feet Stinson-remick Hall sits between a main campus thoroughfare and heavily traveled quadrangle. as
such, it needed to offer a front of-the-building appearance in virtually every direction, and it needed to hide the considerable
service areas required for a building of this size and purpose. BSa LifeStructures planned the exterior of Stinson-remick Hall
using design elements, materials and details that match or complement existing buildings. the design intent was to weave the
building seamlessly into the campus fabric - and in a broader way - the campus heritage.
respecting and enhancing a tradition with design
At first glance, the collegiate gothic architecture and site orientation of
Stinson-remick Hall gives the appearance that it has been standing
on Notre dame avenue for quite some time.
But inside those walls exists the most complex mixture of program,
function and architecture on campus. the facility houses the
university’s first clean room environment, where white-suited
researchers work in a highly sterile environment. Inside, specialized
lighting, power, vibration control and air-movement support the
nanofabrication process.
enveloped in glass interior walls, visitors are given a look into the
multi-faceted clean room from the mail level student commons.
the nanofabrication space is actually three levels with a lower level
equipment and service intensive sub-fabrication space supporting
the specialized equipment needs. an upper level contains a bank of
air handlers to create a constant flow of air down through the floor,
constantly moving potential contaminants away from the work surface.
throughout the building, energy generation and consumption is being
advanced, molecular-scale diagnostic and therapeutic technologies
are being studied. State-of-the-art research facilities provide the
tools needed to support the ideas being generated here. Scientists
are working with individual molecules and exploring alternate energy
sources that will have global impact.
the College of engineering is working closely with South Bend’s
Innovation Park, a commercial business accelerator, to translate
scientists’ work into successful start-ups and economic development.
raising the historic university’s research profile
education and research on display
as the mechanical areas to make the clean room environment offer an educational experience
on their own, the mechanical space above the main level clean room is viewable to students
and visitors who walk the second level hallways.
1
Undergraduates and other School of engineering visitors are immediately exposed to Stinson
remick Hall’s 11,000 square feet of clean room environments visible in the main level student
commons area.
2
3 Flexible learning laboratories in the mcCourtney Learning Center enable open instruction and
multi-use areas that create an ideal environment for project- and team-based engineering
projects. Mobile equipment allows for quick reconfiguration.
2 3
1
Stinson-remick Hall was designed to provide a unique environment
for collaboration and discovery. Undergraduates and graduates are
expected to do more than just coexist. they are expected to work
together and learn from one another. Undergraduate learning spaces
are deliberately located within steps of the clean room facilities, forcing
students and researchers to cross paths. there are also opportunities
for undergraduates to work with scientists in the research spaces.
With a desire to expose undergraduates to research and to aid in
recruitment, much of the facility is transparent – effectively putting
engineering on display. the building was designed to encourage
observation, discussion and collaboration. Glass walls provide views
into the learning center’s classrooms as well as into the clean room
and its mechanical space. Flat screen monitors display real-time
electrical power metering of individual components and areas of the
building. rooftop solar panels provide energy and curriculum.
the College of engineering is creating new types of learning
laboratories that support the way today’s students learn. In these labs,
students participate in hands-on projects that introduce them to the
various engineering disciplines. the mcCourtney Learning Center was
designed with ultimate flexibility. As aerospace students build aircraft
sections or mechanical engineering students explore hydrodynamics,
they can do so in groups or individually. they can pull up a computer
or a white board or roll them both out of the way. In fact, rooms can be
re-configured within minutes to fit project needs.
academic and research collaboration
“the building was designed to place our very best researchers in close proximity and highly visible to our freshman. the intention was to instill curiosity about research in our undergraduates.”PeteR kilPatRickmcloSkey dean of engineeRing
“Stinson-remick Hall is the type of state-of-the-art capabilities Notre dame will use to accomplish our ambitious plan to advance our education and research programs.”RobeRt j. beRnHaRdvice PReSident foR ReSeaRcH
Perhaps the crowning achievement of Stinson-remick Hall was the
ability for such a large and complex facility to make such a minimal
environmental impact. the effort that went into designing Stinson-
remick Hall sustainably – for both the short-term and long-term – set
a new standard for the University’s commitment to environmental
stewardship. BSA LifeStructures led the University’s first eco-charette,
helping Stinson-Remick Hall achieve LEED Gold certification and
helping the University assess campus-wide practices and procedures.
Strategies for creating a high performance
but sustainable building included enhanced
commissioning and intelligent building
controls. Commissioning began in design
with reviews of the university’s project
requirements and design documents.
Early commissioning allowed required changes to be made efficiently
and cost-effectively during design rather than at the end of construction.
Prior to turn-over, commissioning verified system performance to insure
all systems were operating to established functional and sustainable
standards.
Intelligent systems, that sense occupancy and use, automatically adjust
a room’s lighting, air and temperature levels. this, in conjunction with
more-efficient fixtures and equipment wherever possible, significantly
reduces the building’s energy load.
The resulting certification shows the University’s commitment to support
sustainable design and transfers this commitment to the next generation
of engineers using the facility.
high performance engineering, low environmental impact
CONSTRUCTION LEVEL (SHORT-TERM)
Brownfield redevelopment
Development density
Alternative transportation
Bicycle storage
No new parking
Open space site development
Heat island effect for non-roof
Light pollution reduction
Construction waste management
Recycled content
Regional material use
Construction IAQ management
Low-emitting materials adhesives
Project as education program
BUILDING LIFECYCLE (LONG-TERM)
Stormwater management
Water efficient landscaping
Water use reduction (48.6%)
Optimized energy performance
Enhanced commissioning
Measurement and verification
Increased ventilation
Indoor chemical pollutant control
Lighting controllability
Thermal comfort design
Fuel efficient vehicles
Green cleaning / housekeeping
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our multidisciplinary efforts with visionary healthcare, higher education and research clients achieve measurable outcomes through metrics-driven design solutions.
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