John A. Swanson Science Center
Project Description:
The $33 million Swanson Science Center is home to the physical sciences, including physics, chemistry, and biochemistry. The Science Center offers areas of teaching and laboratory space where cross-disciplinary connections can be taught, learned and created. the Science Center’s open laboratory and teaching spaces promote learning and collaboration. W&J President Tori Haring-Smith, Ph.D., said that the design of the building simultaneously respects the historical character of W&J’s architecture while supporting a contemporary science curriculum and research program. While its interior classrooms and laboratories embrace twenty-first century technologies and the latest pedagogical trends, the exterior of this LEED Silver design references the Classical orders to celebrate the college’s rich history. A variety of flexible informal spaces contribute to a learning environment that fosters student-faculty interaction and accommodates both individual and group study. The interdisciplinary facility supports Chemistry and Physics with teaching and research spaces that support discovery-based learning and collaboration, as well as faculty offices adjacent to student study spaces. The building and its surrounding landscape provide living lessons in sustainability.
Client Name
Washington & Jefferson College
Location
Washington, Pennsylvania
Architect
Einhorn Yaffee Prescott
