As 2016 came to a close, Kent State University’s newest building, the Center for Architecture and Environmental Design, received even more distinctive honors for its exquisite design and environmentally friendly features.
Archinect magazine named the state-of-the-art building one of the year’s “Most Attention Grabbing Projects” and Cleveland.com acknowledged it as part of the Cleveland’s renewal. In September, the New York Times featured the Center along with five others from around the world with designs that blend art and culture.
The 110,191-square-foot contemporary glass-and-brick building was designed by internationally renowned New York-based firm WEISS/MANFREDI. Richard L. Bowen & Associates served as the architect of record and Gilbane Building Company as the construction manager.
The center is anticipating a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which will make it one of the largest buildings in Ohio to reach this high standard. Some of the features include a partial green roof to capture and recycle rain water, 131 geothermal wells (each 405-feet deep) to provide an efficient heating and cooling source for the building and glass curtain walls designed to optimize daylight while reducing the need for artificial light.
The exterior contains 91,000 custom bricks produced by Ohio’s Belden Brick Company that brings together colors exemplifying the strong and continuously growing relationship between the university and downtown Kent.
Inside, the new center contains a cascading studio loft that promotes interdisciplinary engagement and peer-to-peer learning. A digital fabrication laboratory, lighting lab, specialized research labs, maker spaces and a material’s library provide the infrastructure needed for tomorrow’s designers. The linear, transparent, ground-floor lobby features a café, gallery, lecture hall and library reading room.