Physics & Astronomy Building

This 78,164 GSF (42,124 NASF) facility is for instruction and research related to materials and optics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This $18.3 million project was a joint venture with Payette Associates and the first of six new buildings forming a new east quad, establishing the character for future growth on campus.

The architectural treatment and scale are in context with the modern campus. Derived from the brick masonry and concrete elements of earlier buildings, the Physics Building uses clean lines, distinct corners and contrasting masonry colors to promote a contemporary academic research structure.

Program requirements for the five-story building (four above grade and one below grade floors) include: Over 20,000 NASF of introductory/intermediate classroom laboratories on level one and research laboratories with laboratory prep rooms on levels two, three and four; 1,600 NASF of computer labs with multiple computer workstations; Rooftop optics observatory, media connected to a 48 seat tiered seminar room; Special materials, microelectronics and radioisotope labs (located in below grade level); Optics research laboratories; Class 100, 1,000 and 10,000 clean rooms; 146-seat tiered lecture hall with extensive state-of-the-art multimedia capabilities; 25-seat and 40-seat seminar rooms with optical and media connections to the observatory.