Design Profile: Alan Magee Scaife Hall Of Engineering At Carnegie Mellon University

The Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering is a six-story research facility at a prominent corner of Carnegie Mellon's campus. Bound by Schenley Park to the south, a deep vegetated hollow to the west, and the original campus to the north and east, the new building forms a gateway to the university's historic core. The 85,000-square-foot building is home to the Mechanical Engineering Department and is comprised of labs, offices, classrooms, collaborative workspaces, and a café. The design balances the desire for privacy and collaboration, while enabling the flexibility to grow and reconfigure in response to evolving uses, technology, population, and pedagogy. A two-story lower volume with laboratories is strategically integrated into the hillside. The below grade footprint takes advantage of ground-coupling to reduce heating and cooling demands. The work spaces are designed to support innovative research in a variety of subjects, and include both wet and dry lab spaces, a drone arena, a robotics lab, and a biosafety level 1 lab. Each requires complex, bespoke system designs, including elements such as pressurization controls, fume hoods, and source capture exhausts. To promote collaboration, workstations are located adjacent to the labs and benefit from the sloped hillside's access to daylight and views. A landscaped courtyard encourages socializing. Teaching facilities, including flexible classrooms and lecture spaces, anchor the first two levels of the building, while offices occupy the upper levels. Woven around and within the building's circulation are flexible spaces for collaboration and study, creating an active hub for research, teaching, and learning.  

Project: Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University    

Location: Pittsburgh, PA 

Client: Carnegie Mellon University  

Project Size: 85,000 square feet  

Project Team:  
Buro Happold (MEPFP, Energy Modeling, Lighting, IT/Telecommunication, AV, Security, Structural Engineering)  

Research Facilities Design (Laboratory Planning)  

Evolve (LEED) 

OLIN (Landscape Architecture) 

Langan (Civil Engineering and Traffic Planning)  

PJ Dick, Inc. (Construction Management) 

Sci-Tek (Geotech)  

Specialty Vibration (Acoustics)  

ICI (Cost) 

Jensen Hughes (Code, Life Safety and Accessibility)  

Simpson Gumpertz Heger (Envelope and Waterproofing)  

Spacesmith (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment)  

VanDeusen (Elevator)  

Wilson Consulting (Spec) 

Space by Spielman Ltd. (Food Service) 

Photos: Sahar Coston-Hardy/ESTO