This project entailed a comprehensive renovation of the five-story, 194,000 SF Old Law School building built in the 1970’s into a modern laboratory, classroom and office building. The building is split into an East Wing and a West Wing. The initial phase renovated four floors of the West Wing of the building to provide approximately 18 instructional labs for science courses, with an emphasis on chemistry, with the fifth floor being designed and constructed at the end of the main project for a recently recruited researcher. The East side of the building was shelled for future upfit. The project also created related student spaces and a new entrance atrium with student gathering and multiple collaboration spaces. A variety of chemistry wet labs were provided to allow for 108 new six-foot chemical fume hoods, including perchloric exhaust and traditional chemical exhaust systems.
The new classroom and undergraduate teaching laboratories provide a highly transparent environment which puts safety and science on display. The laboratories are located on three floors of state-of-the-art laboratories for Honors Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry and Physical and Analytical Chemistry. Repurposing of an existing structure in the heart of a tight urban campus provided an economically and sustainable approach to meeting the increasing demand for undergraduate chemistry teaching spaces.
