Best Project Higher Ed/Research: Utah Tech University Science, Eng & Tech

Abstract

The building is oriented on an east-west axis so that north and south walls of the building are elongated, maximizing access to usable daylight while limiting east and west exposures. The building has a compact floor plan of double-loaded corridors. Spaces that do not require daylight were placed in the interior core of the building, while laboratory and classroom spaces were placed on the south and north faces of the building. Photo by Sam ReedThe site had a critical campus utility tunnel and spur running right through the middle of the footprint of the building. The team turned this potential liability into an asset by using the north tunnel as a shoring structure for construction of the new building. The team then incorporated the exposed concrete in the spur into the layout of the building's mechanical equipment room, transforming it into a visual feature by including a glass wall showcasing the mechanical equipment within. The project achieved the highest tier of the state of Utah's high-performance building standards, with the building air and exterior envelope tests receiving high marks on their first tests.