Eugene, Oregon
The Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at the University of Oregon, created by Ennead Architects together with Bora Architecture & Interiors, is envisioned as the first of a new generation of Knight Campus research buildings that will expand the science and technology initiatives of the university.
The project has been awarded a 2021 American Award for Architecture from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The design for the Knight Campus reflects and enhances the University’s forward-thinking
mission, establishes a gateway, a destination, and a new identity for a unique research campus.
The Knight Campus’ site is located across the main arterial from the historic campus center.
Also included in the project is a new enclosed pedestrian bridge, which spans over a vehicular arterial and efficiently connects the new building to the campus’ existing research facilities.
Illuminated with custom lighting, the bridge lights the way to the Knight Campus.
The bridge and its expressive splayed arched structure create a pronounced gateway to the university and to the city of Eugene.
The first phase of this project includes laboratories designed for interdisciplinary research as well as the home of the Universities’ Graduate Internship Program, Professional Development Program, and a Research Innovation Facility.
A desire for connections between faculty, researchers, and students drove an innovative approach co-locating the laboratories.
The two upper floors of the facility contain interdisciplinary research neighborhoods, designed for flexibility and to bring experimental wet and computational research together.
Each research floor takes advantage of a unique 21-foot floor-to-floor height, which allows for mezzanine structures containing offices for faculty, creating a new level of connectivity to their laboratories and graduate students.
The innovation labs are designed to be rented out by startup businesses in the area, establishing the Knight Campus as a community-enhancing institution aimed at attracting partnerships from all around the world to tackle some of society’s most pressing problems.
A central co-working space and lounge support and encourage connections between outside entities and the facility’s principal researchers and students.
On the lower levels of the building, dedicated learning spaces focus on entrepreneurial education and business, and legal support is made available to help translate their research into viable real-world applications.
The building’s massing reinforces the notion of community. The building’s massing is composed of two L-shaped towers that face each other to cradle an elevated terrace and courtyard, joined above by a transparent connector.
A translucent canopy over the terrace offers protection during the rain while providing a light-filled outdoor environment to relax, socialize and connect with nature.
Adorning the building’s southern-facing facades is an outer skin of folded glass panels, that emulates water cascading over rock formations, and provides shade and glare control for the research spaces inside.
Project: Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact
Architects: Ennead Architects with Bora Architecture & Interiors
Design Team: Todd Schliemann, Don Weinreich, Jarrett Pelletier, Lois Mate, Craig McIlhenny, Laura Buck, Amy Cantwell, Colin Carpenter, Brian Hopkins, Regina Jiang, Dean Kim, Nicole Magnelia, David Schneider, Lacey Schwartz, and Tao Yu
Architects of Record: Bora Architecture & Interiors
Landscape Architects: Place Studios LLC.
General Contractor: Hoffman Construction Company
Client: The University of Oregon
Photographers: Bruce Dumonte