LOCATION
Lincoln, Nebraska

AREA
138,000 GSF

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Sandhills Global Technology Center is a four-story steel structure that features an angled curtain wall, metal panels, and a brick enclosure. But on the inside, there is a bigger story to tell. The whole design mission for the facility is to have the “learning on display” theme throughout. This allows specific spaces and floors of the building to be used as teaching tools for current students, staff, and potential students who set foot into the facility. The new building is both physically and functionally designed to support diverse career pathways for its STEM students.

It houses multiple STEM-related programs, including Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy & Physiology, Biotechnology, Computer Information Technology, Design Drafting Technology, Electronic Systems, Physics, Geology, and Continuing Education, all under one roof. With these distinct program spaces, our design team created unique mechanical and electrical systems to ensure maximum comfort, flexibility, and safety.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• Unique highlights of the project’s design include specialty lighting systems that highlight electrical routing and mechanical systems within the building; a complex array of fume hoods, exhaust systems, and air pressurization considerations for lab spaces; and a focus on promoting the client’s overall theme of “learning on display.”
• Color-changing lighting on both the interior and exterior of the space enhances the building’s dynamic aesthetic while highlighting different aspects of the interior’s design. Tunable white lighting is available in the architectural design labs and CADD classrooms, while exterior light columns enhance the campus’s friendly atmosphere.
• Unique spaces, such as the biotechnology lab, required extensive coordination to ensure they were properly outfitted with fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, and a lab ventilation control system. Additionally, the space is served with high-purity water, piped oxygen, and carbon dioxide.
• The challenge in the lab spaces was to design the audiovisual systems to enable a robust active-learning environment for both local and remote (off-campus) participants while maintaining instructional equity across the entire group. At the same time, the systems had to accommodate remote instructors and industry partners, thus facilitating not only remote learning but also remote instruction.

Learn more about our academic health & research projects in our portfolio section.

Photography credit: Farm Kid Studios