ADD Inc, now with Stantec, Completes its Latest Academic Project, Faraday Hall at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Boston, MA (PRWEB) January 15, 2015 -- ADD Inc, now with Stantec, recently completed Faraday Hall, a residence hall for Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), located in Downtown Worcester in Massachusetts at 10 Faraday Street, across from Gateway Park, the university’s 11-acre life sciences-based campus.
“WPI is one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities, and the residence hall was designed to accommodate the needs of its science and technology students,” said B.K. Boley, Principal at ADD Inc, now with Stantec. “We chose the 19th century scientist, Michael Faraday, the father of electromagnetism, as our inspiration, leading us to create a building that is clearly ‘technical and energized’ in its appearance, but also fitted out with the technology and modern amenities that fit the needs of today’s students.”
The residence hall is a 259-bed, 89,000-square-foot, apartment-style student residence built to house upper-class undergraduates and graduate students.
The building features four-bed apartments with single and double bedrooms, full kitchens, living rooms, compartmentalized bathrooms and recreational facilities.
Scientific Inspiration:
Michael Faraday, one of the most influential scientists in history whose efforts in the field made electricity viable for use in technology, inspired the building’s architecture and design. The project sits on Faraday Street, one of the many streets around WPI named after famous scientists, and directly across from an electrical substation for the City.
Composed of brick and metal panels in six custom colors of various depths and sizes, the exterior was designed to evoke the feeling of a circuit board. The interior features details and materials that recall a modern laboratory, with open ceilings and building systems for the engineering students to absorb.
Features inspired by Faraday’s other famous discoveries include the open staircase adjacent to the lobby, constructed out of stainless steel cables and railings to represent the Faraday Cage, one of the scientist’s most important findings.
Maximizing Social Interaction:
ADD Inc, now with Stantec, strategically designed Faraday Hall to fit its urban environment and appeal to the needs and lifestyle of its students. Its three wings are located along the street’s edges, concealing the interior courtyard from the street.
The lobby includes a multipurpose room for 30 that can be used for gatherings. A social area on the ground floor features a pool table and counter space for student interaction, and the interior courtyard provides valuable green space.
The building’s Technology Suites are located on each floor and offer an area for socialization with full wireless access. The bedroom suites feature a full kitchen with a bar that seats six and opens up to the living room that has sectional sofas that allow students to personalize their unit by rearranging the furniture layout.
The interior color scheme reflects the exterior by incorporating blues, greens and teals in custom designed carpets and wall coverings that draw from the metal panels, while oranges suggest the building’s outdoor brick color.
Energy Efficiency:
The building is energy efficient and uses local and recycled materials that maximize energy- and water-usage proficiency and reduces the environmental impact from transportation. Additionally, the residence hall features expansive windows that maximize the amount of natural light, minimizing electrical consumption during the daylight hours. The building is currently awaiting LEED certification.
About ADD Inc, now with Stantec
ADD Inc, an award-winning architecture, interior design, planning and branding firm with offices in Boston and Miami, has joined Stantec’s Buildings Group, a team of more than 2,500 design and allied professionals working in over 90 offices across North America. This evolution of ADD Inc gives our talented designers access to Stantec’s world-class resources and multi-disciplinary expertise, which will enhance the design creativity and capability we bring to projects and position our team to work in locations worldwide. ADD Inc’s strong reputation for design excellence and our deep expertise in multi-family housing, workplace interiors, commercial/mixed-use buildings, college and university projects, and branding enhance Stantec’s existing capabilities in the Northeast and Gulf Coast. Through this partnership, we can go anywhere to support our clients’ dynamic needs in even more creative, collaborative, and personalized ways. http://www.addinc.com
About Stantec
We’re active members of the communities we serve. That’s why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind. The Stantec community unites more than 14,000 employees working in over 230 locations. Our work—professional consulting in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics—begins at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. With a long-term commitment to the people and places we serve, Stantec has the unique ability to connect to projects on a personal level and advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. http://www.stantec.com
Aimet Oberhausen, Oberhausen Marketing & Public Relations, http://www.obrmarketing.com, +1 (305) 532-1212, [email protected]
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