Architectural and engineering services provided for the academic research building Institute Hall at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Our professionals worked with the design team of Francis Cauffman to provide architectural and engineering services for the RIT Institute Hall. This academic research building houses RIT’s chemical and biomedical engineering departments. The four-story building also includes space for the chemistry department and wet research labs. Additional program components include a data center, institute classrooms, a food service venue and shared collaborative space. This building connects to the existing CBET (Center for Bioscience Education and Technology) building completing a science quadrangle on the east side of campus.

The architectural expression of the building was heavily influenced by its context. Institute Hall complements RIT’s modernist tradition while introducing more visual access and transparency. Where many buildings on campus are solid , Institute Hall is a transparent, glazed core wrapped in a red brick shell, with a traditional rectangular brick wall on its west face and a curving glass façade on its north face. The brick sections house labs, while glass encloses offices and classrooms. The brick elements are sculpted by “carved out” recesses of terra cotta panels.