This five-story, moment-frame office and classroom building contains flexible spaces for interdisciplinary social sciences research. The project team created mock-ups to help ensure that the exterior facade of brick, precast concrete and mosaic tile matched the architectural style of the surrounding campus. The contemporary interior has glass and wood finishes. An open atrium allows for strong visual connections from one floor to another, while a 20-ft-wide central stair features seating platforms that can function as small gathering spaces.

During the project, contractors and designers used building information modeling and Revit to target any feasibility issues and also to help visualize and shape spaces. The project team says modeling also greatly assisted with construction phasing and scheduling, especially for exterior finishes, which consist of two main elements: large, precast concrete units supported by tube steel and metal-stud framing that supports the brick facade. By using design-build and months of up-front planning for the project’s complex skin, builders refined details for precast connections, metal-stud support framing, window integration and sheet metal and flashing integration into the waterproofing systems.