Our Young Designer’s Core (YDC) organized a tour of the currently under construction Northeastern University Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC). The tour consisted of a walkthrough of the exterior of the building as well as a full tour of the interior spaces.
Approach from the Southwest Articulation of the sun shading system
As we approached the building from Columbus Avenue, we saw the fully installed unitized curtain wall as well as the sun shading system which wraps around the building. The sun shading system was especially interesting to see in person after viewing all the models and prototypes the team worked through displayed around the office.
Once we entered the building, we found ourselves in the main atrium space flooded with natural light from the three large amorphous skylights. With the spiral staircase now completed, we noticed how the staircase acts as the focal point of the space while connecting all six floors of the building. Using the newly installed staircase, we walked up the building, stopping periodically to tour some of the office and communal spaces on each floor.
Completed Spiral Staircase One of three atrium skylights
We also toured some of the classroom and auditorium spaces which are near completion. The auditorium in particular was fascinating to see as it took the vertical expression of the sun shade system on the exterior façade and brought it into the interior in the form of wood slates which surround the space.
Auditorium under construction Articulation of the vertical fins
The tour concluded on the sixth floor in one of the large workspaces still under construction. Framed by views into the atrium on one side and views back to the city on the other, it will be interesting to see how this space gets fit-out and used by the university.
View back to the city from the sixth floor workspaces
Opening later this year, the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, MA is an essay in the tuning of building façades for performance. The aluminum sunshades that veil the building began as a concept tested by scoring Bristol paper. The team utilized tools from all modalities: paper models, CNC-mills, parametric studies, solar analysis, wind and water simulations and full-scale mock-ups to inform the design and drive energy use down. The ultra-high performance building is tracking a 61% reduction in energy use compared to the 2030 baseline.
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