Brown University Engineering Research Center

The engineering program at Brown University was founded in 1847 and later became its own department in 2010. However, even after more than one hundred and sixty years, it was still without a centralized home. The Engineering Department finally found itself a home connecting its three different academic buildings for its eight undergraduate programs. Designed by KieranTimberlake, the new Engineering Research Center (ERC) not only connects the previously disjointed buildings into a bustling engineering quad, but also integrates those buildings into the larger university campus.

Collaboration is at the heart of the new ERC at Brown University. The new building serves as a focal point amongst the chemistry, computer science, engineering and physics departments, physically connecting the latter two via multilevel bridges. Upon entering the ERC, collaboration proves itself to be at the core of the design. The open, loft like, co-lab workspaces are designed to promote a dialogue across multiple academic disciplines. Acentech’s acoustical consultants collaborated with KieranTimberlake to help develop adaptable spaces for changing research types and diverse research styles.

The building contains state of the art features including a nano-technology cleanroom, an advanced imaging suite, and a bio cleanroom. Acentech’s consultants provided noise and vibration consulting to protect these sensitive areas without having to sacrifice the multi-functional areas, café spaces, and open floor plan. The new ERC is able to contain sensitive equipment while embodying the spirit of multi-disciplined collaboration. This will undoubtedly lead to innovation and progress in the years to come.