NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY - ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING LABS AND CAPSTONE

Innovation on Display

Northeastern University engaged HGA for a complex renovation in Hayden Hall, home to the College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) and Capstone program. With a commitment to experiential learning and putting innovation on display, our team was challenged to reinvigorate the space, including the Capstone Design Studio, larger ECE classrooms, dry labs for microelectronics/ sensors and related research, and maker space to foster interdisciplinary and collaborative discovery.

The refreshed Design Studio enhances the experience of seniors participating in the Capstone program, incorporating flexible workspaces, and upgraded technology while increasing visibility for their project work. The team opted to expose the existing concrete waffle slab structure for more expansive ceiling heights, drawing in more natural light from existing windows into the spaces, and visually connecting program elements through placement of new glass walls. Given that students have 24/7 access, the Studio includes soft seating for comfortable informal learning and meeting space. In conjunction, the classroom, dry lab, and makerspaces provide flexibility for evolving research and teaching demands via new open-plan layouts and drop-down ceiling mounted services.

HGA hosted numerous workshops with the University’s Dr. Tadigadapa and his group to define user requirements and identify priorities.  This was followed by a robust visualization process with 3D modeling tools to evaluate the design.

Developing a plan for phased construction was critical to ensuring that students were able to continue pursuing their research and furthering development on their Capstone projects. The project completed in two phases, with the Capstone Studio as phase one and the Teaching Lab/Makerspace in phase two.