Exterior of the Harvey Mudd McGregor Computer Science Center

Harvey Mudd College | McGregor Computer Science Center

Harvey Mudd College | McGregor Computer Science Center | Claremont, CA

Name: DPR Construction
Price range: $

The Scott A. McGregor Computer Science Center at Harvey Mudd College provides a much-needed new home for the college’s rapidly growing Computer Science Department and creates room to grow from 16 to 25 faculty positions over time. It also houses a permanent makerspace, open to all students at Harvey Mudd and across The Claremont Colleges. For a science and engineering focused college like Harvey Mudd, the integration of a campus-wide makerspace was especially important to nurture the aspirations of faculty and students, and to showcase their talents. The project’s design is tied to strategies that invigorate interdisciplinary collaboration and project-based learning.

Partners

Harvey Mudd College | McGregor Computer Science Center

Project

Details

The three-story, 36,000-square-foot academic building features a welcoming, expansive lobby at the first floor, as well as ample study, hangout, and collaboration spaces for students. On the second and third floors, faculty offices, clinic and project studios, teaching and research laboratories and collaboration spaces serve the computer science program. The now contiguous computer science space brings together previously fragmented elements such as student project areas, clinic program work areas and computer labs. These floors encircle a central courtyard that brings transparency and natural light to the building’s circulation spaces.

At the heart of the building’s first floor is the multi-disciplinary, collaborative makerspace that creates one large open workspace for networking and socialization. The space’s zoned layout includes a collaborative lounge, co-working and idea development areas with a welding station, 3D printer, robotics lab and laser cutter. To complement the rapid prototyping and light-to-medium fabrication spaces, the makerspace is adjacent to renovated and repositioned metal and wood machine shops, which provide for heavy fabrication needs.

The

Challenges

The project team worked together closely to achieve the McGregor Computer Science Center’s unique aesthetic, balancing form and function while staying within budget.

With its unconventional angles and tight tolerances, the building’s unique exterior design and shape was the most obvious challenge for the construction team.

At the building’s interior, the sweeping main entry stair was a central feature to the project design. Its form presented a unique challenge for the construction team, as it fans out as it descends.

Interior courtyard of glass building with students

Exterior view of metal and glass building from the street

Orange interior staircase and student lounge

The

Challenges

The project team worked together closely to achieve the McGregor Computer Science Center’s unique aesthetic, balancing form and function while staying within budget.

With its unconventional angles and tight tolerances, the building’s unique exterior design and shape was the most obvious challenge for the construction team.

The

Solutions

From the start, the team leveraged target-value design. The project team implemented collaborative budget execution, and early trade partner feedback helped inform design and overall contract documents. The team worked through detail issues and priced them as they came up, ensuring the solution fit within the project budget.

In collaboration with the Steinberg Hart design team, DPR anticipated and resolved any outstanding issues, leveraging the knowledge of its self-perform work crew and trade partners. The team meticulously delivered the nonstandard shapes and angles, carefully coordinating to ensure that every turn looked intentional and well-planned. Utilizing the BIM model and site walks, the team addressed the cantilevers, unusual corners, roof setbacks, and other details. For example, on the west elevation, there was one transition where the metal panel system was in and out of plane. The project team scrutinized joint consistency and plumbness with the building, confirming the detail and accounting for the allowable tolerances.

The central stair required precise coordination for the foundation, installation and detailing. The team laser scanned the prefabricated curve track and stairs to ensure that the custom pieces were a perfect fit prior to installation. To laser cut and form precision-matched pieces, the stair and handrail subcontractors were also able to leverage the same laser-scanned VDC model to put the finishing touches on the stair.

Students studying in the hallway on blue carpet

Orange feature staircase and study space with conference table

Orange staircase descending into a student lounge at Harvey Mudd College

The

Solutions

Craftsmanship and Collaboration

The project’s unique design and unconventional angles created a one-of-a-kind opportunity to showcase the construction team’s excellent quality and craftsmanship.

Precision was key when installing the central stair, which was built with a prefabricated curve track. The team laser scanned the stairs and provided the point cloud to manufacturers for custom pieces. Precast treads were cut and formed to fit tightly between the stair and wall, and the stair and handrail subcontractor used the same VDC model to laser cut and form matching pieces to perfection. The point cloud also fed and validated the drywall studs into a metal stud track to meet the tight radius. DPR self-perform leaned on its skilled craftsmen to sculpt the tight radiused bends for a striking result. A custom smoke baffle made from curved glass panels and an extruded aluminum glass track was installed to mirror the rounded stairway.

Innovation

The project’s innovation begins with its unique exterior skin, which makes up about 70% of the building exterior and was the product of creativity, collaboration, and target value design. Rather than installing a premanufactured rainscreen system, the façade was custom designed using standard sheet metal to get a cost-effective but customized look. The project team and trade partners developed a formed metal panel system, segmented into six-inch unitized sections and built frame. The resulting rainscreen system drew upon local resources and was unique, economical, and repeatable. Ultimately, the custom rainscreen system reduced the construction schedule by four months and helped bring the project into budget.

Project

Awards

ENR California

Best Higher Education / Research Project in Southern California 2021

ENR California awarded the Harvey Mudd College McGregor Computer Science Center project as "Southern California’s Best Higher Education / Research Project" in 2021. Judges independently review entries using five criteria, including Overcoming Challenges & Teamwork, Safety, and Construction Quality & Craftsmanship.

AIA Los Angeles