Saiki Design worked with architects at BWBR as part of a multidisciplinary design team on a building addition and renovation project to add capacity for teaching and research to existing Engineering Hall. The building program called for two additions; a north addition and a south addition, effectively book-ending the existing building core and creating challenges for site circulation and access that were insurmountable without completely re-imagining the site. Saiki Design recognized this as an opportunity to align the site development with the vision and mission of the University and to capture the innovation and teaching potential in a new classroom building of this caliber and significance.
Integrated and highly purposeful exterior spaces were designed to support the diversity of users accessing the site and the teaching and research mission of the University, all within the framework of LEED guidelines. New pedestrian connections and plaza spaces were created between building entries and a reduction in the surface parking lot provided an opportunity to create engaging and functional stormwater features. The site design highlighted innovative and interactive stormwater management techniques including a 5,000square foot green roof and a tiered bioretention system to accept roof runoff which cascades down a steeply sloped portion of the site, creating a dramatic backdrop for pedestrians navigating through the space.
The project contains a number of innovative sustainability strategies and is pursuing LEED Certified recognition.
