Uniting academia and industry

In 2014, the University of Connecticut sought to create a new campus that would serve as a platform to educate and inspire future generations of scientists and engineers, while bolstering the state’s economy. The institution tapped SOM to design the master plan for this campus, and out of this plan came the first building for the new Tech Park: The Innovation Partnership Building (IPB).

With 8,000 companies performing research within a two-hour drive of the university, UConn received $40 million from the state to fund cutting-edge laboratories and technology. And with these laboratories, the IPB has provided Connecticut-based industries with access to resources offered almost nowhere else in the state. The building is a bridge between academia and industry, attracting startups and blue-chip companies alike. Both graduates and undergraduates can engage in projects related to energy, material science, cyber security, manufacturing, data science, and artificial intelligence and robotics. As the first building in the Tech Park, the IPB is serving as an engine for creating tech jobs and strengthening the economy of Connecticut.

A “machine in the garden”

Set amid rolling farmlands, woodlands, and wetlands, the IPB merges state-of-the-art laboratories with a bucolic setting. It is conceived as a “machine in the garden,” standing in striking contrast to its setting with strong concrete and metal-clad forms stretching into the landscape. The technical requirements for the different types of laboratories—from the highly sensitive microscopy center to the more active and vibration-intensive high-bay and manufacturing center—informed the building’s U-shaped plan. Within this scheme, a sloping courtyard space becomes the heart of the IPB. The space frames views of the woodlands and distant hills, and creates a continuum from the entry plaza through to the perimeter forest walking trails beyond the site.

Sustainability, and a new aesthetic for UConn

Clad in a perforated aluminum rainscreen system, patterned pre-cast concrete panels, and glass, the IPB stands in contrast to its red brick neighbors on UConn’s main campus. Coupled with its expression of structure, this differentiation signals that the new Tech Park and its flagship Innovation Partnership Building are forward-looking experiments for UConn and the state.

Sustainability is at the heart of every aspect of the design. The building is targeting LEED Gold certification through a variety of strategies, from the construction of a reclaimed water system to energy-reducing systems such as a condensing boiler plant, an exhaust air energy recovery system, and natural lighting.

Cutting-edge lab spaces

There are three primary zones within the IPB: tenant wet and dry labs, a high-bay manufacturing and additive materials wing, and an advanced characterization wing. The advanced characterization lab is among the foremost microscopy facilities in the United States, offering researchers the ability to analyze materials at atomic scales. All of these facilities are supported by a network of indoor and outdoor social spaces that SOM designed to encourage multidisciplinary collaboration.

An amenity for the entire campus

Complementing the facility’s research and education program is a network of formal and informal spaces that promote interaction between students, faculty, and industry partners. The multipurpose lobby, which incorporates the artwork “Wall Drawing #867” by Connecticut native Sol LeWitt, has served as university-wide venue for symposia and other events. Lounges, meeting rooms, and a cafe have likewise all become gathering places for students across the university.