Stony Brook University

Multidisciplinary Engineering Building and Neuro AI Institute

Stony Brook, NY

Size
81,500 gsf

Services
Programming
Lab Planning and Design
Construction Administration

Role
Architect and Laboratory Planner

 

The new Multidisciplinary Engineering Building and Neuro AI Institute (MDE / NAI) provides space to support two important initiatives on the Stony Brook Campus. It includes a significant expansion of space for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) and space to house a new AI initiative on campus, the Neuro AI Institute.

For CEAS, the building includes multidisciplinary research labs, core labs, an undergraduate teaching lab and a maker space, the Dean’s office, the Office of Undergraduate Administration, a large presentation space, conference rooms, and office space for faculty and grad students. This program serves a dual purpose: to advance the College’s research mission and to enhance the student experience, both for enrolled and prospective students.

The Neuro/AI Institute is a new initiative on campus, an interdisciplinary center that brings together computer scientists and neuroscientists to promote interdisciplinary research via collaboration between these groups. Space for the Institute includes a large presentation space for symposia, an interactive “Hub” that serves as the social center of the Institute, computational labs, a flexible server room, Director’s office suite, conference rooms, and faculty and grad student offices.

The building features a thoughtful balance of open and closed labs, each equipped with flexible systems to support evolving research needs. Transparent partitions showcase science in action while enhancing daylight and visibility. A central corridor, designed as an interior street, serves as the main circulation spine, fostering collaboration and intuitive wayfinding.

The building is structured around a central Commons that serves as a hub for communal activity. A spacious, top-lit, multi-story atrium unites various programs, bringing daylight into lab spaces while fostering social interaction and collaboration. Perforated ceiling grids evoke the design of historic computer punch cards. Extending the interior connective tissue, a landscaped terrace provides space for orientations, meetings, and outdoor classes to connect occupants to nature.

The project combines multiple functions in a single building to support interdisciplinary collaboration, share meeting and conference space, leverage the overall building infrastructure, and maximize site utilization. It features a terracotta exterior cladding system with a 20% window-to-wall ratio and triple-glazed curtainwall. The all-electric building has been designed to be net-zero ready and will feature solar panels on the roof and on canopies in the parking lot, and a new geothermal well field with 75 geothermal wells to offset heating and cooling loads. The building has a predicted EUI of 48kBTUsf/yr.