By M.W. Penn

PROJECT TEAM Designer: Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture and Engineering P.C., Boston; Helfand Architecture P.C., New York (Architects in Association) Stone supplier: Media Quarry Co., Media, Pa. Stone installer: Davis-Giovinazzo Construction Co., Plymouth Meeting, Pa.

The Swarthmore College campus, adjacent to renowned Crum Creek and Crum Woods, is also on the site of the Scott Arboretum. Established in 1929, the arboretum contains more than 3,000 different kinds of ornamental plantings, displaying some of the best trees, shrubs, vines and perennials hardy in the climate of eastern Pennsylvania. Encompassing more than 300 acres, Scott Arboretum is also an integral part of the college landscape.

Swarthmore had existing science facilities that were outmoded and located in six separate buildings. In 1999, the college committed to a major overhaul of these facilities with a $48 million project.

A primary goal of the project was to consolidate the science programs into three adjacent buildings and add a new connecting building to create an improved environment for the study of the sciences.

In respect for the scale of the campus, the Science Center was broken down into separate masses, with heights of only two and three stories.
Photograph © Jeff Goldberg / Esto

Two architecture firms were involved in the project and designed the Science Center through a collaborative process. Einhorn Yaffee Prescott brought experience with science education and research buildings to the project. They are an integrated architecture and engineering design firm, specializing in education, government, science and technology, and historic preservation projects. The second firm, Helfand Architecture of New York, contributed to the overall arrangement of the complex and the design of public spaces. Many of Helfand's projects involve the merging of new uses with old architecture and new architecture in a historic context.

	Because outdoor teaching is popular on campus, honed black granite walls were installed adjacent to terraces or lawns to act as chalkboards. Photograph © Jeff Goldberg / Esto

The Unified Science Center is composed of 80,543 square feet of new construction, as well as 55,124 square feet of renovated space. The center is placed at the north end of the campus and forms the fourth edge of the academic quadrangle. The new elements wrap around the existing buildings to link the existing individual science buildings and library, and the connector elements share details, such as soaring, V-shaped roofs, to link together the large building.

The facility includes classrooms, labs, faculty offices and social spaces. It brings together biologists, chemists, computer scientists, mathematicians and physicists in one 140,000-square-foot structure, whose components are each small enough to not overwhelm campus neighbors, but still provide physical connections between all science disciplines.

The green strategy included a zero-runoff environment. V-shaped roofs direct water back into the earth through waterfalls, stone water channels and re-absorption pools. Photograph © Jeff Goldberg / Esto

The new center actively engages and utilizes the quality of the campus and arboretum; the design incorporates both physical and visual connections between interior and exterior spaces. Views of the surrounding woods are available from a majority of laboratories and through transparent sections of the building. In the commons — the center's most spectacular and inviting gathering area — walls of glass face both north and south. Outdoor teaching, popular on this campus, is made possible in multiple locations by using honed black granite paneled walls as chalkboards adjacent to terraces or lawns. A sheltered, Asian-inspired garden centers the facility; the garden has walks and seating areas made of natural cleft Pennsylvania bluestone accented with fossilized bluestone pavers. The LEED-certified building expresses and celebrates Swarthmore's commitment to the natural environment.

The V-shaped roof over the commons area is echoed in a connector element to bring architectural unity to the structure.
Photograph © Jeff Goldberg / Esto

Building materials include local granite, wood and Pennsylvania mica schist, a local stone chosen to clad the exterior walls of the Unified Science Center. Schist is the dominant material in the majority of Swarthmore's buildings, as well as many of the homes surrounding the campus; the vernacular use of this material in local buildings encouraged the architects to incorporate the stone into their design.

	Views of the surrounding woods are available from a majority of the laboratories. Photograph © Jeff Goldberg / Esto

The Pennsylvania mica schist used in the center is from Media Quarry; it ranges from blue to gray to brown and is usually separated by color, though it is sometimes used full range. The blend chosen for the science center is 50 percent gray and 30 percent blue, highlighted by 20 percent brown. Pennsylvania mica schist is a durable stone with the gray and blue varieties containing quartz, and blends beautifully with the native Pennsylvania cherry wood used throughout the Science Center.

The schist was field dressed by the master masons of Davis-Giovinazzo Construction to create the designated ashlar pattern. Davis-Giovinazzo set the plasma finish granite paving and curbs and the Chappel stone used to veneer the mechanical sheds. John Giovinazzo said that the incorporation of so many different types of stone in complimentary finishes made this project unique.

The success of the planners and architects is evident. The Unified Science Center provides Swarthmore with a beautiful and functional space as friendly to the environment as a science building can beÊand anÊenhanced environment that will assist the college in achieving their long-term goals for the study and profile of the sciences. It is imaginative and engaging, and has set a new standard on campus.

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