Located in the former Franklin Street Gym, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has opened a $121 million, 181,000 SF building dedicated to STEM education. Designed to support 10,000 students, this facility combines traditional classroom learning with hands-on research. The six-floor building features teaching labs, instructional spaces, and study areas that cater to several majors within the College of Humanities and Sciences.
Inspiring curiosity and encouraging collaboration between academic disciplines, while adhering to the university’s building standards, was the design team’s main goal. The Lighting Practice (TLP) provided interior and exterior lighting design services, focusing on public spaces, classrooms, lecture halls, and laboratories.
Upon entering the building, visitors step foot into the two-story atrium and are greeted by a montage of images, all depicting various science-related themes chosen by students and faculty from each department. The atrium serves as a visual representation of the building’s diverse academic disciplines and showcases the collaborative spirit of the university.
Linear fixtures outline the stairs and handrail, framing the stairs and keeping the ceilings as clean as possible while avoiding downlighting. Following the backlit images up the stairs, visitors are drawn into the commons with its distinctive honeycomb ceiling.
“Discreet lighting behind the honeycomb ceiling provides proper illumination, while decorative hanging pendants add visual interest and assist with wayfinding”, says The Lighting Practice Associate Ryan Conover.
The math exchange offers a flexible space for students to have large or small gatherings. Lighting in this area promotes collaboration by reinforcing zones for teamwork and impromptu discussion. It features two mathematically accurate representations of foci ellipses, with linear pendant lighting radiating outward and finished with felt to improve acoustics. Calculated by a mathematician, the foci of an ellipse are two fixed points that lie on the major axis. The lighting placement, based on these calculations, creates a perfect ellipse.
Adjacent to the math exchange is a collaboration space with VCU-colored lighting pendants above seating areas to segment spaces allowing students to refocus themselves. Staggered lighting throughout the space highlights the various seating and lounge areas.
The largest team-based learning environment on campus is located within the building, featuring two 200-seat classrooms. A DNA helix adorns the ceiling with recessed linear fixtures connecting the sides of the helix, replicating a real DNA structure and reflecting the STEM spirit.
“Classrooms thrive on dynamic instruction, which demands equally dynamic lighting solutions. In this setting, the lighting seamlessly integrates with technology, providing adaptable layers of light that offer flexibility,” explains Ryan Conover.
Biology, Forensics, Anthropology, and Physics thrive on the third and fourth floors, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. Recessed lighting in the teaching and research labs provides even high-performance illumination and a clean aesthetic.
Home to the Chemistry and Kinesiology departments, the fifth and sixth floors house labs to perform movement science and chemistry experiments. Even illumination in these spaces is more task-orientated and functional, whereas social spaces are meant to bring people together and tell a story.
The VCU STEM building embodies the spirit of STEM. The lighting designers focused on creating interesting lighting moments that reflect each department’s unique character. The Lighting Practice sheds light on each space to meet the needs of students and faculty while also fostering an atmosphere conducive to their success and supporting the building’s diverse academic disciplines.
