A “Living Room” for Undergraduate Science

The Science Learning Center (SLC) at the University of Georgia is a “living room” for undergraduate science, supporting changing pedagogies for collaborative project-based programs in chemistry, biology and physics. Its location adjacent to the D.W. Brooks pedestrian mall makes it easily accessible to both students and faculty, and brings science to the center of campus. 

A large entry courtyard welcomes students from the mall. The architecture integrates with the existing Neo-Georgian character of the campus with predominantly brick facades. Walkways reinforce existing campus circulation patterns and provide seamless accessibility across a steeply sloping site. Large punched windows bring daylight deep into the building and also offer views of the scientific discovery being conducted inside, igniting curiosity in students passing by.

Connectivity — between the campus and the building exterior and interior — along with a mix of large areas for collaboration and more intimate spaces for focused work, create a vital learning environment for the university’s next generation of scientists.

Key Features Include:

• A series of rain gardens, bioretention basins, and architectural channels capture, reuse and artfully display rainwater.
• Multiple patio spaces provide a variety of casual outdoor seating opportunities.
• 33 teaching laboratories support well-established STEM best practices with flexible, reconfigurable seating.
• Two large S.C.A.L.E. U.P.  classrooms promote “active-learning” pedagogies in the science programs, foster new ways of learning and provide space for on-going faculty training
• Two 280-seat flexible, mixed-use auditoriums provide traditional lecture-style teaching along with group and individual learning and study opportunities. These auditoriums also serve as venues for lectures, poster sessions and community outreach programs when not used for academic purposes.
• Student and faculty meeting rooms, student study areas and team study rooms scattered throughout the facility provide collaborative and interactive learning opportunities.

Designed in collaboration with tvsdesign.