Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:27, 24 November 2020

Revision as of 20:32, 24 November 2020

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== Design ==

ISEC has 6 stories consisting of labs, classrooms, offices, conference rooms, and research facilities. The first floor consists of two 50-seat lecture halls, two 50-seat active learning classrooms, a bicycle storage room, a 24-seat biomaterials teaching lab, a cafe, and a 280-seat auditorium. The building also has a central atrium which extends through all 6 floors and contains the main spiral staircase. Floors 2-5 house an array of experimental labs on the rectangular half of the building and contain several offices and conference rooms on the rounded half of the building across the atrium. The 6th floor is structurally similar to floors 2–5, but house computational research facilities in place of the laboratories. The north corner of floors 3-6 contain a computational research room, and floor 2 has a lab classroom in the same corner.

The ISEC building was constructed for collaboration and research. The central body of the building consists of a large atrium that extends from the ground floor to the six-story ceiling. Much of the research space which borders this main atrium is completely visible to observers, allowing for high levels of transparency between the public and different disciplines. Open spaces of collaboration and "research on display" define much of the complex.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex - Payette |url=https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/reviews/interdisciplinary-science-and-engineering-complex |website=World-Architects |accessdate=12 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

ISEC was constructed on an urban brownfield site that was formerly a parking lot set between the Columbus Ave and Renaissance Park Garages. Set between Boston's historic Roxbury and Fenway neighborhoods, The facility serves to connect two areas that were for the most part separated by the Amtrak and MBTA rail lines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.payette.com/project/interdisciplinary-science-and-engineering-complex/|title=Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex – Payette|website=www.payette.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-11-29}}</ref> The building achieved a [[LEED Gold]] certification in 2018, using 78% less energy than a traditional lab building.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northeastern University ISEC Earns LEED Gold – Payette |url=https://www.payette.com/news/northeastern-university-isec-earns-leed-gold/ |access-date=24 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The building also has a rainwater retention system that harvests rainwater and uses it to supply 57% of the flushing needs in the building.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rainwater Harvesting at ISEC |url=https://facilities.northeastern.edu/rainwater-reclamation-isec/ |website=facilities.northeastern.edu |access-date=24 November 2020}}</ref>

== Influence and impact ==