Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences

Connecting an engineering community in innovation in teaching, learning, and discovery

Information

Location Iowa City, Iowa
Size 68,094 SF
Completion 2017
Services Architecture, Interiors
Project Type Science and Technology, STEM
Certification LEED Gold

The South Annex Addition to the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa creates a larger community within the entire engineering facility and fosters innovation in teaching, learning, and discovery. The addition includes a number of spaces for active student learning with dedicated areas for different engineering departments, including the College of Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, as well general assignment classrooms equipped with enriched technology and projection screens. A new common lobby centered around a technology-rich student project design studio creates a multi-functional showcase at the intersection of the new addition and existing building, surrounded with the activity of student gathering and study space, bringing the entire engineering community together.

The building encompasses 4,000 SF of student collaboration space, including more than 200 seats for work groups, and a 128-seat, state-of-the-art, tiered lecture hall. Additionally, graduate workstations, conference rooms, and a Student Development Center for tutoring sessions support pedagogy and student interaction. The facility also includes the Center for Computer Aided Design, Solar Lab, and College of Engineering Teaching Labs such as Fluids research and teaching labs. Renovation work in the existing building includes creating an Engineering Learning Commons adjacent to the engineering library space that features flexible study and presentation spaces for faculty and student use.

Impact + Innovation

Project goals for the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences focused on creation of a high performing building that both fosters community within the College of Engineering and engages with its surrounding campus context. Covered bike parking, various outdoor seating amenities, stormwater management strategies, and accessibility enhance the existing pedestrian pathway all while engaging the public with the College of Engineering activities. The position and composition of the glazed elements across the facility’s facade aimed to maximize daylighting within interior spaces. As a result, 93% of regularly occupied spaces provide views to the outside. A transparent lobby also serves as a connector, creating a new front door to the College of Engineering.

Process

The constrained site required our team to nest the new addition at the convergence of three campus structures while accommodating a primary campus circulation corridor, accessibility throughout the steep site conditions, and a dense array of campus utilities within the project footprint. Our design approach elevated the mass of the building above grade; standing in harmony with the surrounding context, delivering a net positive cost solution to site utilities, offering a strong entrance identity, and creating a campus gateway that celebrates the pedestrian circulation spine.

Sustainability

234 solar roof panels with the capacity to produce 76,000 kWh of energy per year, cutting back on energy costs
2,200 SF of bioswales; outdoor plantings that reduce storm-water runoff
5,000 SF of green roofing, including numerous native plants
20% projected energy cost savings compared to baseline
Lighting is 30% below ASHRAE 90.1 baseline
Student enrollment has doubled, increasing to 2,200 in 2018

People

Team

Kevin Nordmeyer
Jason Kruse
Carey Nagle
Lana Zoet
Elise Hubbard
Jihee Chung
James Schuessler

Client

The University of Iowa

The BNIM architects did an amazing job of designing a state-of-the-art addition that recognizes who we are and how we go about our work of educating students and creating new knowledge. For example, the addition is filled with windows and sky-lights for daylighting, has ample space for spontaneous collaborative learning with tables, chairs, and technology distributed through-out. The architects worked closely with our faculty and staff to learn what we need to achieve even more; as a result we now have a beautiful fluids lab that includes a wind tunnel, a tow tank, state-of-the-art visualization capabilities, and more. The addition also has modern classrooms which seamlessly support active learning, collaborative learning, or traditional lectures. We have a design studio that encourages our students to explore and develop their creative skills. There are numerous new state-of-the-art research labs to support our thriving research enterprise. In short, this new addition makes us better – it enhances everything that we do.

Alec Scranton, Dean, College of Engineering

The ample daylighting in the building and the attractive views of the landscaping have created a space where people want to spend their time. A series of bioswales that were installed along the hillside adjacent to the building provide both beautiful vegetation and functionality since they serve to naturally cleanse the watershed from the building and the nearby street.

Alec Scranton, Dean, College of Engineering