Science Center at Brown University

A new hub for the sciences fosters a spirit of collaboration on the Brown University campus

The Brown University Science Center was designed to support teaching and learning in the sciences and to provide one central location where people from all over the campus — from all of the various sciences — could come together to collaborate and share. With the goals of reducing the boundaries between the various disciplines and creating an atmosphere where students and faculty could work together, Bergmeyer was not only charged with designing a state-of-the-art facility, but also with creating a sense of community within it. Equipped with the latest technologies, the new Science Center is a state-of-the-art teaching, learning, and study space inside Brown Sciences Library. Its flexible seating and pleasant environment encourage connections and interest in scientific endeavors. The Center has seven collaborative study rooms, an outreach laboratory, faculty offices, individual study space, and exhibit areas. Light filters through perimeter windows to the building core through interior glazing, activating the lively interior palette. Rooms are equipped with video projection, writeable surfaces, smartboards, flat screens, and workstations with scientific software. Easily accessible resources including research databases and feeds from NASA and other scientific labs make the Center a compelling and engaging destination.

The architects at Bergmeyer have a marvelous eye for design but also are really, really good listeners. — Katherine Bergeron, Dean of the College (Brown University) We know how well designed space can have a powerful impact on a campus community. This new science center has a huge impact on the way we think about and the way we see science at Brown. By Bringing together many different disciplinary perspectives, by bringing together faculty and students in collaborative pursuits, and by bringing together the greater Providence community into Brown for the purpose of learning science, this center speaks to several important missions of the University. — Katherine Bergeron, Dean of the College (Brown University) It’s a space that is used every night by students using the drop in center, studying, using the outreach lab. Scientists, artists, and people from the humanities interact in ways that couldn’t happen before. This is a special place and students love it. — David Targan, Associate Dean of the College for Science Education (Brown University) I can’t think of a better use of this space. The goal was to see the space, services, and collections used and this is an incredible combination of all of those put together. — Harriette Hemmasi, University Librarian (Brown University)