The Interdisciplinary Science Center (ISC) of Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, has been built and is now available to students and faculty. The 102,000-square-foot structure, designed by LMN Architects, is positioned in the heart of the academic complex and campus. It is distinguished by porous, transparent, and active communal areas that house a range of teaching laboratories and showcase science. The structure completes Arevalo Student Mall’s western side and expands a major pedestrian route to the south.
Further details on the Interdisciplinary Science Center of Eastern Washington University
Two enclosed pedestrian bridges connect the facility to the existing Science Building Center, establishing a single integrated facility between the two structures. The four-story, brick-clad structure is rectangular in shape, with conspicuous gaps at either end. A crystalline glass wall delineates primary entry and social areas within each void. The landscape design incorporates major geological specimens along site walls as well as native plant species distributed across the building’s many micro-climates.
Inside the ISC, laboratory instrument exhibits and instructional displays are incorporated into the walls of the central corridor, providing an interactive teaching environment and integrating the laboratory and corridor in a dynamic interchange of filtered perspectives. The building’s internal layout follows the site’s linear flow, with laboratories flanking each side of a broad central hall on all levels.
The three upper levels include a linear layout of laboratories, each with a corner display window that physically ties the teaching rooms to the building’s social activity. A multipurpose meeting room on the fourth floor is highlighted by faceted glass walls facing south and east, and it has an adjacent terrace with views of the school, landscape, and mountains beyond. LEED Gold certification was awarded to the project.
