The George Washington University | Science + Engineering Hall

Science and Engineering Hall (SEH) is the focal point of George Washington University’s (GW) growing research emphasis.
Spanning a city block, the 750,000 SF SEH is the largest academic building of its kind in Washington, DC and the first new major laboratory building on the campus in over 50 years. The building brings together research and teaching spaces previously spread across a dozen buildings, and nearly doubles the space on campus available to a variety of science and engineering programs.
To encourage interdisciplinary partnerships, departments are arranged in “research neighborhoods” that place laboratories and office space for different disciplines next to each other around a collaboration space, pantry, and spiral stair. Spaces for gathering and interaction can be found throughout the building in varying scales: internal gardens highlighted by green walls, informal group spaces, a large commons area, meeting and study rooms.
The building’s neutral palette is accented with bursts of color to energize the space and assist in wayfinding. A transparent “teaching tower” extends up through all of the upper teaching and research floors. It physically and symbolically unites the upper floors into the public domain of the building. The maple underside of the teaching tower brings warmth to the scale of the atrium.
The university challenged the architectural team to design SEH without multiplying GW’s carbon footprint. The result is an academic building that is unparalleled at GW in scope and function, as well as eco-friendly. Sustainable features include power from a co-generation system, enthalpy wheels, chilled beams and a green roof with vegetation covering more than 10,000 SF. Ballinger also designed a new 12,000-ton chiller plant located in the basement of nearby Ross Hall.
Learn more about the Science and Engineering Hall
Category
Washington, D.C. | 750,000 SF
Services
Architecture | Engineering
Interior Design | Master Planning
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Awards
SCUP/AIA-CAE, Excellence Honor Award, 2017
AIA, Pennsylvania Chapter, Merit Award, Interior Design, 2016
Interior Design Magazine, Best of Year Honoree, 2015
IIDA, PA, NJ, and DE Chapter, Best of Year Award, 2015
Concrete Foundation Association, Grand Project of the Year, 2015
DVASE, Merit Award, 2015
ENR Mid-Atlantic, Award of Merit, Specialty Contracting, 2014
American Concrete Institute, National Capital Chapter, Award of Merit, 2014
ABC of Metro Washington, Excellence in Construction Award, Specialty Concrete