Ransom Everglades / Perkins & Will School STEM Building

Ransom Everglades / Perkins & Will School STEM Building

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Text description provided by the architects. The new STEM center is located at the entrance to the historic Ransom Everglades Coconut Grove campus. Its location intentionally creates a new quadrangle that showcases the school’s commitment to academic excellence, the arts, and next-generation environments for teaching and learning. Understanding the principles of STEM education, Ransom Everglades envisioned a SF 45,000 Center for Science and Mathematics that enables a multidisciplinary approach to education for faculty and students. The project’s areas of collaboration enhance team learning and foster an environment of thought leadership, experimentation and creativity.

Flexibility and adaptability, from movable walls to movable furniture and services, makes this institution one of the leading STEM secondary education centers in the country and features a forward-thinking faculty and award-winning student body. Earth science, biology, chemistry and physics laboratories integrate with advanced manufacturing and manufacturing laboratories. An aquatic laboratory functions as a body of water at the front of the building which is flanked by the outdoor student commons and the incubator of the Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning. This incubator is a hub for faculty, administrators, students and visitors to exchange ideas, showcase new trends in education, and elevate national dialogue on STEM education.

The building design embodies the latest educational facilities, recognizing that next-generation education requires new types of learning environments. Special attention has been paid to creating spaces that provide learning experiences in all aspects of design; from the design of its systems to environmentally friendly strategies, including the careful calibration of daylighting, acoustics and technological spaces. Design drivers included creating spaces that foster creativity, experimentation and learning, freedom of expression, social responsibility, leadership, inclusion, respect and professionalism.

These same engines are also used globally in new corporate campuses, research facilities and higher education campuses. Today, learning happens anytime of the day and in all kinds of environments. Technology has allowed a smoother interaction with information. Classrooms or formal laboratories are just one of the many spaces where students and teachers interact. It is of the utmost importance in today’s educational institutions to create informal spaces, with an emphasis on the “space in between”.

The design of the Ransom Everglades STEM building recognizes this and offers a range of informal learning spaces. The main circulation spine of the building creates seamlessly collaborative hubs and reconfigurable spaces at each level. A large outdoor staircase or a common area for students, equipped with power and data infrastructure, offers the possibility of presenting learning, impromptu lectures or exhibitions as well as formal scenarios ranging from theatrical productions and performances outdoors at guest lectures.

Technology throughout the institution enables local, national and international connectivity and allows students to stay informed about building performance, projects presented, class activities and general information. The building is a lantern and living laboratory showcasing the future of STEM and Ransom Everglade’s continued leadership in academic excellence.