Students at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, N.C., will soon be honing their computer and science skills in the school’s new Science and Technology Building, which recently celebrated its groundbreaking.
Designed in a collaboration between Heery International and Anshen + Allen—now a part of Stantec Architecture—the $18 million, 62,000-square-foot building will house students and faculty from the mathematics, computer science, chemistry, physics and forensics departments. The four-story facility will consist of classrooms, laboratory and research spaces, offices, auxiliary services and a landscaped courtyard shared with two existing science departments.
The courtyard concept will help the building to serve as a gateway to the science complex, promoting a cohesive center for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, while creating a stronger sense of identity to the larger campus. Key to this strategy is the Discovery Forum, a cone-shaped gathering and collaborative space envisioned as the heart of the facility and the center of the student learning experience.
“This project embraces the university’s desire to create transformative public gathering spaces, as well as structures that strengthen the overall campus,” says Heery Design Architect and Project Executive K.C. Underwood. “A transparent glass bridge creates a sense of openness while connecting and anchoring the main and science quadrangles. The contemporary bridge also symbolizes the university’s commitment to STEM learning principles, which are intended to function across departmental boundaries.”
The facility will also include a new data center to serve the entire campus, as well as café space on the ground level. It has been designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification upon its completion, and will be the university’s first LEED-certified building.
FSU’s Science and Technology Building is scheduled for completion in early 2013.
For more information about the project, visit www.heery.com or www.anshen.com.