Project File: All-inclusive design

Research 2, the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, meshes high-tech demands with the collaboration needs of its academic staff.

The center is situated in the university's 55-acre Research and Technology Park. The facade of the 76,000-square-foot, two-story building gives a feeling of the open prairie landscape while reflecting nanotechnology through concrete and glass. The interior includes a clean- room wing, a south wing and a north wing.

The modular design of the clean-room wing satisfies technological requirements and addresses vibration control, air quality, systems reliability and redundancy.

The south wing houses wet lab spaces, such as nanoscale instrumentation and material chemistry research labs, and research offices that enable research in nanoscale materials.

The west wing was designed for administration/technical staff and R&D offices, a high-performance computing center, and four laboratories for electronics design and prototype manufacturing.

The three wings are linked by a core circulation commons area, which cultivates an open, accessible atmosphere that encourages interdisciplinary interaction.

The architect is Hammel Green and Abrahamson (HGA) (Minneapolis).