We were committed to actively reinforcing the architectural tradition of the Georgian-style campus at Southern Methodist University in Dallas when we undertook the task of designing a new life sciences building for the university. The result was a finely crafted neo-classical building with the beauty of symmetry, proportion, and decorative elements on the outside, along with state-of-the-art lab facilities on the inside.

The sloped site provided the perfect wheelchair entrance connecting with the pedestrian mall on the west side and the grand stair entrance on the east side.

The new lab building uses a universal lab planning module, with a dedicated lab corridor and non-lab corridors for good security, bio-grade lab hygiene, and lab environmental control. The floor utilization ratio is at a satisfactory 67% for typical lab floors (see figure below).

The first floor is more public than other floors with higher foot traffic. Two lecture halls are placed on the first floor for easier access and egress, along with departmental office spaces and a loading dock. The basement floor is designed for an animal holding area, and the second and third floors are designed for research labs.

Teaching labs were designed for extreme flexibility with fixed overhead utilities and completely movable lab furniture. This allows professors to teach anything from cellular biology to advanced biochemistry in the same space, with less wasted infrastructure.