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American architecture firm Ross Barney Architects has completed the NASA Deep Space Technology Test Laboratory in Cleveland, USA, which includes a tower made of precast concrete panels for testing antennas.
Ross Barney Architects created the Aerospace Communications Facility at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, which originally opened in 1942 as an aircraft engine research laboratory for testing jet propulsion.
The building is part of the NASA site master plan, also designed by Rose Barney Architects.
The aerospace communications facility was created to test radar, laser and other deep space technologies, so the studio first considered functionality when implementing the design.
These included creating a special concrete mixed with copper for a series of precast walls built for the radar antenna testing laboratory, which act as a silo element higher than the rest of the glass-clad building with independent foundations.
The copper in the concrete makes the building act like a Faraday cage, completely isolating it from outside radio interference.
The bottom edges of the prefabricated panels are filled with etched images of the blackboards from the movie Hidden Figures.
Within the rectangular, glass-clad volume, the central core is structurally isolated from the building, creating stable conditions for testing of space lasers and other sensitive equipment.
AIA gold medal architect and RBA founder Carol Ross Barney said the building is a reflection of its function.
“The building is completely an expression of what’s going on there,” she told Dezeen. “There’s no aesthetic drive.”
“For a long time, I have believed that the best architecture is integrated and functional,” she continued.
“Beauty is the result of the integration of these needs. This building only focuses on what’s inside.”
Outside the strictly controlled areas, other functional elements were emphasized. Externally, undulating metal louvres extend from the building to control light.
Inside, the studio exposes the metal ducts in the ceiling that power the various laboratories, an aesthetic that Ross Barney likened to a spaceship.
The exterior of the glass building houses meeting spaces and work areas. The entrance pavilion is a double-height space with partial walls composed of etched precast concrete panels.
The second level is a large expanse of sintered glass overlooking the treeline and canyon.
Some areas have been coated with polished concrete floors to add brightness, and a series of meeting rooms with glass walls have been pushed to the exterior of the plan, flanking a simple rectangular circulation.
The building achieved a LEED Gold rating and was designed to be net-zero ready, with hydronic systems including chilled beams, geothermal heating and radiant heating panels.
Ross Barney described the building and surrounding campus as “like a machine for research,” and expressed hope that as the campus expands, it will be used for more architectural designs.
Other buildings on campus include the Research Support Center designed by TEN Arquitectos, which has a large cantilevered walkway extending from its second level.
Project credits:
architect: Rose Barney Architects
Security Consultant: Appropriately
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection engineers: database management system
Civil/Environmental Engineers and Surveyors: Environmental Design Group
RFI/EMI Mitigation Designer: On-site management services (
Security Consultant: road sign solutions
Laboratory Planner: HERA Laboratory Planner
Geotechnical Engineer: Tracon
Cost estimate: Concord Group
structural engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
Protective design: Thornton Tomasetti-Weidlinger Protective Design
Acoustic Designer: threshold acoustics
Communications Engineer: Waveguide Consulting
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