This project provides Belmont University with a new consolidated Academic Science Center. The 86,000-square-foot building houses an abundance of learning labs and associated instructional classrooms that vary in capacity from 24 to 72 students, enabling long-term flexibility in usage. The Center was also designed for interdisciplinary collaboration and “planned collisions” between students and faculty and emphasizes experiential learning and group interaction spaces.
Twenty state-of-the-art science labs accommodate biology, chemistry and physics programs and include a spectrometer lab, a microwave reaction chamber, a laser lab and a photonics lab, as well as a an animal holding room for zebra fish, and a cold room and incubators for biological studies.
Page/SST Planners provided lab programming and lab planning services for the building, which was designed by Earl Swensson Associates, Inc. (ESa). A four-story open atrium provides natural light throughout the building, which achieved LEED Platinum certification. Other sustainability features include multiple green roofs—one adjacent to a biology lab space on the third floor and several on the top floor. LED lighting and motion sensors are used in offices, classrooms and labs. A chilled beam mechanical system, in conjunction with a VAV system, is used throughout to increase efficiency.
