Case Western Reserve University
The Cleveland Center for Structural Biology and the Power Partnership for Ohio
Cleveland, OH
22,000 SF
Due to a lack of space on campus, the University was compelled to consolidate two completely different research programs into one building. The new building houses both the Cleveland Center for Structural Biology’s (CCSB) NMR Facility and Advancement Power Institute’s Fuel Cell Laboratory. The two disparate plan functions, NMRs and fuel cell laboratories, are organized along a major circulation spine, which bisects the building and defines the boundaries of each of the functions. This building organization allows for coexistence of both groups through a shared lobby that visually connects the activities taking place within the NMR suite, the conference training room, and the laboratories. The building massing is intended to showcase the duality inherent in the program between the sophisticated equipment and the research activities through the composition of abstract planes, sharp details, and vibrant materials. The building as a sculptural element seeks richness of form through simplicity of means.