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.

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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.

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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

bSa lifeStructures designs facilities that support, enhanceand inspire healing, learning and discovery. facilities thatare lifestructures.

our multidisciplinary efforts with visionary healthcare, higher education and research clients achieve measurable outcomes through metrics-driven design solutions.

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