Bohlin Cywinski Jackson with Pierre Zoelly, et. al.
Intelligent Workplace
computer model (1992)
Pierre Zoelly
Margaret Morrison Building Extension
model (1991)
This project did not find favor with the University; but it ultimately issued in the Intelligent Workplace. A project of the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics (CBPD), the Intelligent Workplace is a living laboratory of the advanced workplace that serves as a test bed for innovations in building enclosure, interior, HVAC, and telecommunications systems. Because of its special requirements, the Intelligent Workplace was shaped by a multidisciplinary team including CBPD faculty, architects Zoelly and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, and structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering consultants. The team identified performance issues, set standards for integrating building systems, and explored innovative design solutions.
For a time, the project retained the original scope of work for the entire west wing of Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall, but it ultimately receded to just the penthouse level. Zoelly conceived the massing modules, which were employed in various schemes before the design was simplified to its final form of nine modules, differing only in breadth. The design was also driven in part by the characteristics of major components donated by building industries. The Mahle flooring system, for instance, uses a 600mm module that helped to establish the dimensions of the massing modules. The sophisticated curtain wall, which refines themes explored at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and the Carnegie Mellon Reseach Institute (CMRI), is a variant of the Gartner product line. It is related to the curtain wall of Gartner's own corporate headquarters in Gundelfingen, Germany (1988-1992).
The Intelligent Workplace serves internal purposes foremost, and its presence in the public realm is a secondary concern. Its coloration and its roof forms are benign gestures toward the Hornbostel building below. More importantly, however, the Intelligent Workplace brings the high-tech vocabulary of SEI and CMRI to the historical campus, in keeping with the contemporary identity of the university.