PROJECT  E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory

LOCATION College Park, Maryland, US​

ARCHITECT Page

CLIENT University of Maryland College Park

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Paul O'Connell, John Marco, Shayne Sobell, Allison Friedel, William Bowles, Golbarg Razaghi Kashani, Alicia Hayter, Fai Bark, Sean Lyons, Stephen Kozakowski, Mihai Dobrescu, Daniel Lazarz, Theodore Osborne, Suzannah Klein, Robyn Canady, Angela Kwon, Jose Leo Arango, Gerard Audet, Wayne Smith

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Site Resources, Inc.
CONTRACTOR Clark Construction Group, LLC

ENGINEERS
Hope Furrer Associates
Site Resources, Inc.
Page (formerly EYP)
Page (formerly EYP)

PHOTOGRAPHER Barry Halkin

CONSULTANTS (if applicable)
Vibration & Acoustics: Colin Gordan & Associates
Electromagnetics: Vitatech Electromagnetics, LLC.

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  5/10/2022

PROJECT SUMMARY
Ready to expand the boundaries of innovation, entrepreneurship, and world class research, The A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland sought a facility that was “unconventional in every way.”

Pushing the limits of what’s possible, the Page team designed a building that defies gravity — floating a solid box of flexible research space above two glass levels of student innovation and collaboration spaces.

Dubbed the IDEA Factory, the building’s street-level invites onlookers to peer inside and see the energy of entrepreneurship at the heart of the Clark School’s reputation. You’ll find undergraduates sharing tools in the Rapid Prototyping Lab, preparing for design competitions in the ALE x Garage innovation workspace, or developing next-generation apps in the Startup Shell, an incubator for student-run startups. The Shell already has generated over 60 ventures, valuing $20 million and growing.

The second floor, sheathed in glass, encourages students, faculty, and staff to grab a bite of the best food on campus while exchanging thoughts in collaboration areas and conference rooms. Great ideas often emerge after faculty lunch-time presentations and create buzz in this social hub for the engineering school.

And floating above these inviting spaces, the box of research labs allows walls to be reconfigured in a snap, providing the University unprecedented ease in adapting to research demands. Home to the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center, drones zoom by, and students explore biomimicry in the Robotics Realization Lab.

Tucked away below ground is the Quantum Technology Center, hosting sensitive equipment harnessing the power of the very small. Students and researchers focus on translating quantum physics into real-world technologies.

Combined, the IDEA Factory is a place of curiosity, energy, and exploration, educating 21st century engineering leaders.

JURY COMMENTS (if applicable)

IMAGES – CAPTIONS & CREDITS

Image 1  Main Entry at Dusk / © Halkin Mason Photography
Image 2  Main Entry at Dusk / © Halkin Mason Photography
Image 3  Collaboration Spaces Fuel New Ideas / © Halkin Mason Photography
Image 4  Exterior Daytime View of Dichroic Glass / © Halkin Mason Photography
Image 5  Rapid Prototyping Lab / © Halkin Mason Photography
Image 6  Startup Shell / © Halkin Mason Photography
Image 7  Optics Lab / © Halkin Mason Photography
Image 8  Pre-cast Concrete Facade / © Halkin Mason Photography

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF