Manhattan College Higgins Engineering & Science Center

The renovation and addition of the engineering building at Manhattan College reduces operational carbon, potable water use and promotes occupant wellness. Atelier Ten provided daylight analysis coupled with energy analysis to achieve the project’s ambitious LEED goals.

An early and key goal for the project was to provide a healthy indoor working environment for the occupants. Atelier Ten optimized the daylight level in the interior space by assessing various shading options and solar radiation impact. The exterior shade design is calibrated to minimize hours of direct sunlight while increasing useful daylight levels. All classrooms have ample views to nature and access to daylight.

Given the high ventilation rates associated with teaching and research laboratories, the focus was designing efficient mechanical systems. Atelier Ten also optimized the building envelope including additional insulation, high-performance glazing and exterior shades. The project is anticipated to achieve a 37% reduction in annual energy use and 29% reduction in annual energy cost over ASHRAE 90.1-2010 baseline.

The landscape development for the building creates a flexible outdoor campus space. The project replaces an existing asphalt parking lot with an activated greenspace.