MNN - Mother Nature Network

The brilliant minds at Lord, Aeck & Sargent are back with another gorgeous green building. The Science Complex at Eastern Michigan University is targeting LEED Silver certification. The project is being completed in two phases. Phase 1 is a new 80,000 square-foot addition and Phase 2 is the renovation of the 180,000 square-foot Mark Jefferson Science Building.

 

Phase 1 of the project was completed in December and features several eco-friendly features including:

The building is also equipped with a gorgeous atrium beneath a suspended spherical planetarium/classroom. When looking at the planetarium from the atrium below, one gets the sense that it is floating in the air. This is just one example of how Lord, Aeck & Sargent has merged green building principles with stunning design features.

 

Wade Tornquist, associate dean of Eastern Michigan University’s College of Arts & Sciences explains how the new science complex will help prepare today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow.

“The project is important because of the widely held belief in Michigan that the state can provide more and higher paying new jobs through training of our next generation of workers in the sciences. With the new EMU Science Complex we can provide state-of-the-art labs and learning environments, which are good for recruiting students interested in the sciences, and we can give these students a first-rate education that will be highly valued by Michigan employers.” Source: Lord, Aeck & Sargent

That would be great If this green science complex draws in a talented crop of new students that then go out into the Michigan workforce and help turn that state’s economy around.