The Smart-House is a research facility devoted to the exploration of nanotechnology and intended to play a fundamental role in the expansion both of the University and of the surrounding technopark.
The architectural expression of the 250,000 sf building is inspired by images of nanotechnology, including two- and three-dimensional representations of nanotubes, nanochains, semiconductors, and molecular blocks. The building's multifaceted and strongly vertical massing features tower elements that gesture to SNUT, the technopark, and the surrounding landscape. Located on a hill and integrated with the campus grid, the building establishes a strong visual termination point for the campus. A landscaped plaza effectively buffers the Smart House from a neighboring laboratory building.
Lower levels house public amenities, with a main lobby serving as both entry and prefunction space for an auditorium and multipurpose rooms. A dedicated level of conferencing space in the tower lends articulation to the massing and gives the complex a prominent signature presence. On the upper levels, laboratories are designed as clustered, flexible modules for ease of adaptation. A nanotech fabrication facility, or fab, is situated at the site's westernmost point to isolate the structure from te vibrations of a nearby roadway. A centralized service yard serves the fab, the CUB and the lab tower. A parking structure is accessible via overhead bridging and plaza entrances.