Scaife Hall: un nuovo gateway sostenibile tra campus e città per l’ingegneria del futuro
KieranTimberlake
Education
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Completed
The LEED Gold Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering is a 6-story research facility that re-establishes an historic main campus entry, supporting the Carnegie Mellon’s connection to Pittsburgh and the Oakland neighborhood. The 85,000 square-foot building supports both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the College of Engineering by providing diverse and flexible spaces that can swiftly respond to changing uses, technologies, population, and pedagogy. It is comprised of labs, offices, classrooms, flexible workspaces, and a café that foster collaboration. A new courtyard unifies four buildings, supporting engagement across the School of Engineering.
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As a gateway between campus and city, it connects users to a dynamic environment, both academic and civic. The project engages the streetscape by providing an accessible surface that invites them directly into campus. A wide pedestrian portal showcases the School of Engineering, while the new courtyard unifies the academic community. From this vantage point, it reveals new vistas that extend beyond campus. The building acclimates and embraces the heavily sloped site rather than forcing the site to the building by burying half the square footage below grade and minimizing the exterior facade. The project strategically reduced car parking in favor of pedestrian traffic while improveing bicycle facilities. Native grasses and adaptive trees and shrubs replaced non-native hillside plantings.
Scaife Hall achieved LEED Gold certification. Overall, the building will use 25% less energy than ASHRAE 90.1-2010 baseline for buildings of similar size and use (calculated by energy cost). High recycled content materials and locally sourced construction materials were specified and used to further decrease the environmental impact and embodied carbon. As part of the demolition process, the university donated over 11 tons of material such as doors, light fixtures, furniture, appliances, and casework for refuse to a variety of local nonprofit organizations. The waste diversion goal for the project was to redirect a minimum of 75% from landfills (~2,500 tons). A green roof was incorporated to mitigate stormwater runoff, reduce heat island effect, and promote biodiversity.
Scaife Hall’s layout and massing have a 360-degree relationship with its surroundings and is user focused, prioritizing daylight and views. It features a drone arena and 11 labs to support research in a variety of subjects ranging from Biology to Rapid Prototyping, with 100 PhD workspaces directly adjacent. Strategically integrating these spaces into the existing hillside leverages ground coupling, reducing the heating and cooling demand, while allowing for controlled conditions. The space above the labs forms a landscaped courtyard where all Engineering programs can socialize and collaborate. A much-needed café and lounge further supports student and faculty interaction. Flexible classrooms and lecture spaces anchor the first two levels of the building, while over 80 offices occupy the upper levels. Ample spaces for collaboration and study are woven throughout, including 19 meeting rooms, creating an active hub for research, teaching, and learning.
Scaife Hall’s design marries advanced Engineering research with site-specific public art, fostering an ongoing dialogue between the arts and sciences. “Making Way” by Jessica Stockholder integrates vibrant colors, translucency, and light throughout the building and landscape. The dynamic piece utilizes built elements such as light fixtures, terrazzo flooring and treads, decorative wall panels, window film, and stair guardrails, contributing to a memorable campus gateway.
The Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering has been an exceptional success for the university. It has become a popular destination for students across campus, who utilize it for learning, research, studying, collaborating, and simply gathering. The building's inviting atmosphere, from its exterior and interior artwork to its abundant seating areas and spectacular views of Frew Street, Schenley Park, and the Oakland neighborhood, draws people in.
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The LEED Gold Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering is a 6-story, 85,000 GSF research facility sited on a prominent corner of Carnegie Mellon’s campus.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
Woven around and within the circulation are open and flexible spaces for collaboration and study, creating an active hub for research, teaching, and learning.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
Scaife Hall engages the local community by providing an accessible gateway directly into the campus.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
Scaife Hall’s public spaces are a welcoming living room for the department. From the vibrant public art that bridges exterior and interior spaces, to a much-needed café and open workspaces, Scaife Hall is a resource to all.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
A large operable door extends the communal courtyard to the interior where a new café and gathering spaces support student and faculty interaction.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
Classrooms of various scales and types provide flexibility to meet several teaching and learning methodologies, each including integrated technology. Each space incorporates abundant natural light and views without hindering instruction or technology.
To promote collaboration, research workstations are located adjacent to the lab spaces and take advantage of the existing sloped hillside to provide daylight and views out.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
The labs are designed to support innovative research in a variety of subjects and include a drone arena.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
Formal and informal spaces for study and collaboration are integrated throughout.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
A landscaped courtyard connects entries to four buildings and opens vistas beyond to Pittsburgh and the Oakland neighborhood.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
The courtyard invites all Engineering programs to socialize and collaborate.
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
Scaife Hall’s design marries advanced Engineering research with site-specific public art, fostering an ongoing dialogue between art and science. “Making Way” by Jessica Stockholder infuses and layers vibrant colors, translucency, light, shadow, and reflec
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
East-West Section
KieranTimberlake
Site Plan
KieranTimberlake
Campus Site Plan
KieranTimberlake
Elevation
KieranTimberlake
"Making Way" by Jessica Stockholder Layering Diagram
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania, USA
Carnegie Mellon University
09/2023
17187 sq. m
Confidential
KieranTimberlake
Stephen Kieran, Brendan Miller
PJ Dick
Structural, MEPFP, IT, Energy Modeling, Lighting, Security: Buro Happold; Civil: Langen; FE: Spacesmith; Laboratory Planning: Research Facilities Design; Geotech: Sci-Tek Consultants, Inc.; Code, Life Safety, Accessibility: Jensen Hughes; Landscape: OLIN; Spec: Wilson Consulting Inc; Cost Estimation: International Consultants, Inc.; Acoustics: NV5; LEED: EvolveEA; Envelope and Waterproofing: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger; Elevator: VDA; Food Service: Space by Spielman Ltd.
n/a
Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
Bio
Founded in 1984, KieranTimberlake unites the expertise and talents of 90 professionals from diverse backgrounds in a practice that is recognized globally. In 2025, after 40 years as a founder and partner-led firm, we transitioned to a 100% employee-owned corporation. Our projects include the programming, planning, and design of new structures as well as the conservation, renovation, and transformation of existing buildings, with special expertise in education, arts and culture, government, civic, and residential projects. We envision a beautiful, resonant, and regenerative built environment. We rely on collective intelligence and nonhierarchical production structures for gains in economy, efficiency, and quality.
