Daniel L. Malone Engineering Center

An engineering building's walls reflect its surroundings, and its roof reflects the sun.

Located on a triangular site bordered on the south by A.K. Watson Hall and on the north by the historic Farmington Canal, now a walking and biking trail, the Daniel L. Malone Engineering Center required an architectural solution that did not disturb its environment, while expressing its value as a progressive center of research. It had to have a distinct, but not overbearing, presence. Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects’ elegant, sustainable design expresses the state-of-the art-function of the building within, while respecting the timelessness of the surrounding historic buildings.  

The building is designed with a 12,000-square-foot floor plate and consists of six stories, including one partially below grade level. It has a total gross area of 65,500 square feet and is nearly 100 feet tall. The longest width of the building, which is approximately 200 feet at its outer edge, serves as the main circulation corridor for the building. This corridor, a major architecturally expressive element, is cantilevered from the main structure and enclosed by a glass curtain wall system, creating a light, column-free, transparent space. The glass curtain wall allows natural light to enter every occupied space within the facility, dramatically increasing the indoor environmental quality of the building. 

The hierarchy of space allocation within the building flows from the common outside corridor to the professors’ and researchers’ offices, to the lab spaces, and ultimately to the back of lab support rooms. This layout encourages an open and free dialogue among the inhabitants of the building. 

Awarded with a LEED Gold rating in the fall of 2006, the Engineering Center includes many sustainable features. Reusing the waste-stream of the lab water purification system for toilet flushing greatly reduces the building’s water usage. The use of this graywater, along with low-flow taps, allows for an 85 percent decrease in potable water use from a conventionally equipped building. In addition, all stormwater is retained and filtered on-site, decreasing the burden on the municipal stormwater system.  A highly reflective white roof keeps the top of the building cool, reducing both the urban heat effect and the energy required to cool the building. High-performance glazing was selected for the windows and the curtain wall, and daylight controls reduce electric lighting energy use.

Formal name of project: Daniel L. Malone Engineering Center

Location: New Haven, CT

Gross square footage: 64,500 sq.ft.

Completion Date: May, 2005

Owner: Yale University

Architect:
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
1056 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06510
Phone: 203.777.2515
Fax: 203. 787.2856
www.pcparch.com

 

resources | editorial calendar | submit work | contact us | about us | call for entries | site map | back issues | advertise | terms of use | privacy notice | my account
© The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved