SCUP 2022 Annual: A Tale of Two Planning Projects: The Frontiers of Science and Robotics

SCUP 2022: A Tale of Two Projects Carnegie Mellon + GBBN + brightspot
A Tale of Two Planning Projects:
The Frontiers of Science and Robotics
SCUP 2022 Annual Conference
July 26, 2022
1

Introductions, Agenda, and Objectives
2

Introductions
Bob Reppe
Senior Director of
Planning & Design
Carnegie Mellon
Matt Plecity
Principal
GBBN
Elliot Felix
Founder
brightspot strategy
A Buro Happold Company
3
Amanda Wirth-Lorenzo
Principal
brightspot strategy
A Buro Happold Company

Today’s Agenda
5 min Introductions & Objectives
10 min CMU’s Challenges & Goals
5 min Poll and Discussion
10 min Visioning and Programming
10 min Site Strategy and Design
10 min Lessons Learned & Q&A
Agenda & Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
1. Free up space on your main campus by
exploring planning on the frontiers of
your campus
2. Evaluate issues in interdisciplinary
planning at your institution
3. Create a ﬂexible programming model to
forecast needs for the future
4. Effectively engage faculty in your
planning effort
4

CMU’s Challenges and Goals
5

Pittsburgh of the Past
6

A Tale of Two Projects
7

A Tale of Two Projects
Interdisciplinary
Science Center
340,000 GSF Complex at edge of
campus adjacent to Museum and
public library creating research
hubs and housing contemporary
art institute/gallery.
(w/ RFD Lab Planners)
Robotics Innovation Center
150,000 GSF Off-campus center
for robotics bringing together
CMU’s School of Computer
Science, College of Engineering,
and Corporate/Government
partners.
8

Interdisciplinary Science Need
9

Interdisciplinary Science Need Project Focus
10

Interdisciplinary Science Vision
The Science Futures Building will be a radically flexible home for Science @
CMU that redefines how science is done.
It will welcome and connect a global community of students, faculty, staff,
visitors, and researchers to innovate new pathways for scientific inquiry and
discovery.
Powered by the robotics and AI of automated science, the Science Futures
Building will foster breakthroughs in life sciences, sustainability, materials,
and neuroscience in an inclusive and collaborative environment.
11

Interdisciplinary Science Principles
12
Embrace Hubs
Across
Disciplines
Reduce
Dependence on
Mellon Institute
Building
Expand
Collaboration
Space
Adopt a Core
Facilities Sharing
Model
Plan to
Contemporary
Lab Standards
Promote the
Off-site Cloud
Lab Facility
Support
Teaching and
Learning
Avoid
Ofﬁce
Duplication

Interdisciplinary Science Goals
13
Mellon College of
Science Goals
School of Computer
Science Goals
College of Fine Arts
Goals
Optimize for collaboration,
discovery, and creativity
Invite informal connections
and community building
Enable hubs to co-locate and
evolve
Share core labs and support
facilities
Leverage the off-site cloud lab
facility
Focus on research spaces,
fostering collaboration within
and beyond SCS
Improve the student
experience by expanding
shared study space and
classroom spaces
Free up space in other SCS
facilities for expansion
Raise the proﬁle of the arts at
CMU
Welcoming the public with a
prominent ground ﬂoor
location adjacent to the
Carnegie Museums
Support expanded gallery
operations with ample staff
space, workshop space and
art handling space

Robotics Innovation Center Site
RK Mellon Science Building
CMU Campus
Development
Zone
TRACT
Parcels
33/37/42
Mill 19
Plaza
14

Robotics Innovation Center Vision
15
The RIC brings together fundamental and applied robotics
research in a dynamic and adaptive environment working
across traditional disciplinary boundaries to tackle grand
challenges of the future.

Robotics Innovation Center Goals
16
Integrated
Enable researchers
to conduct ﬂuid,
integrated,
translational
research and
seamlessly ﬁeld test
robots and
autonomous
systems across
indoor, outdoor
and virtual
environments
Destination
Create a
world-class
destination for
robotics and
autonomous
systems to attract
talent, inspire
future generations,
build & strengthen
partnerships and
showcase
innovation
Incubator
Provide incubator
space and support
to pre-seed
startups to
strengthen and
accommodate
partnerships in the
industry of robotics
and autonomous
systems
Community
Engage and
enhance the local
community and
create a
placemaking
destination at
Hazelwood Green

Robotics Innovation Center Principles
17
Placemaking
Get people to come here, and
help build an identity for
Hazelwood Green
Adaptability
Install robust infrastructure to
enable long-term changes to
spaces
Accessibility
Welcome and accommodate
users of all levels of ability and
experience to engage and
contribute
Community
Create opportunities for meaningful
connection with the robotics
community, local neighbors, and
industry partners
Flexibility
Design spaces to ﬂex for
multiple uses throughout the
day or for rotating project teams
Visibility
Share our research process and
outcomes by curating visibility
for the public and partners

Common Themes: Context, Vision, and Goals
18
Building upon past
studies and internal
work
Creating consensus
and shared vision
Translating donor
agreements into
reality
Complementing, not
duplicating existing
facilities
Enabling expansion in
existing facilities
Planning for
Uncertainty

Poll and Discussion
19

SCUP 2022 Annual Conference | A Tale of Two Planning Projects: The Frontiers of Science and Robotics 20

Visioning and Programming
21

Programming Approach
22
Core Users
Mix of users
(researchers/
staff/students)
Populations
Team size by
user type
Space Allocation
Area needed by
user and team
(workspace
/support)
Shared
Facilities
(computing
support,
storage)
Public Space
(lobby, study,
retail)
Space
Program
(57,000 NASF)
=
x x + +

Interdisciplinary Science Groups
23
Biological
Sciences
Department
Chemistry
Department
Neuroscience
Institute
Computational
Biology
Department
Language
Technology
Institute
Machine
Learning
Department
Contemporary
Art
Institute
Science
Dean’s
Ofﬁce

Interdisciplinary Science Populations
24

Interdisciplinary Science Program
25

Interdisciplinary Science Program
26

Interdisciplinary Science Public/Learning Spaces
27
Lobby and Cafe Bio Teaching Labs Classrooms Galleries
Wet Research Labs Computational Labs Core Labs Oﬃces
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example

Robotics Populations
28

Robotics Program
29
The new facility provides ~70,000 NASF of space for
research, experimentation, working, and public
engagement (not incl. 50,000 GSF shell space)
17% of the facility for lobby, café, visitor center,
childcare, and instruction rooms
62% of the facility for high and low bays, shops,
and wet and damp labs
15% of the facility for workspace and open
study
7% of the facility for building support spaces;
double the standard allocation for a building of
this scale
Building Support
Instruction Rooms
Open Study (1,430)
General Use
Workspace
Damp Labs
High bay
Wet Lab
Low Bay
Water Tank (1,000)
Shops
70,000 NSF
4,900
3,850
8,410
9,250
6,000
9,600
3,850
3,000
20,000

Robotics Instruction, Work, and Study Spaces
30
Lobby Cafe Visitors Center Childcare
Pepper Parlor robot cafe, Japan
Town Hall, Boston Dynamics The Exploratorium Museum Home Depot childcare center
Instructional Space
Analytics Classroom, Temple
High Bay Low Bay Damp Labs Workspace
Pennovation Center
Imperial College London DataSite Ofﬁce
Study Spaces
EPIC Space, Boston University
GRASP Lab, UPenn

Common Themes: Space Programming & Planning
31
Shifts to smaller,
more shared space
standards
Planning for change
in science and
engineering
Effective digital
stakeholder
engagement
Moving target for
area, net-to-gross,
and shell space
Providing just enough
detail to make
decisions
Delightful to interview
faculty on their work
and how it's changing

Site Strategy and Design
32

Interdisciplinary Science Context and Views
33

Interdisciplinary Science Masterplan Site Guidelines
34

Interdisciplinary Science Zoning and Setbacks
35

Interdisciplinary Science Site Section
36

Interdisciplinary Site Strategy
37

Interdisciplinary Science Massing Concept
38

Robotics Adjacencies
39

Robotics Outdoor Space
40

Robotics Blocking and Stacking
41

Robotics Environmental Opportunities
42

Robotics: Exploring Options
43

Common Themes: Site Strategy and Design
44
Maximizing buildable
area within site
constraints
Access to daylight
and views
Identify locations for
functional operations:
loading, parking, etc.
Creating intuitive
locations for high
prioriority functions
Providing just enough
detail to make
decisions
Capitalize on
connections to
adjacent buildings
and the greater
campus

Lessons Learned and Q&A
45

Lessons Learned and Q&A
46
Virtual engagement
enables more
participation and more
equitable process
Encourage
interdisciplinarity
through shared labs and
“no names on doors”
It takes patience,
ﬁnesse, and the right
info to align views
Address conﬂicting
views as they arise;
don’t table it for later
when stakes are higher
Need to educate
leadership on the value
of spending time and
money pre-planning
Need a nimble process
at the fuzzy front-end,
lots of scenarios and
options!

Thank you!
47

Interdisciplinary Education Research
48

Interdisciplinary Science Site
49

Robotics Innovation Center Need
50
Campus
Primarily Fundamental
Research
Robotics on campus is focused on
fundamental research.
Campus-based labs and programs
also play a strong role in educating
and training undergraduate and
graduate students
Example: Student research projects might
emerge in practical applications 10 years
from now
RIC
Testing Ground for Integrated
Translational Research
The RIC bridges the gap
between these two stages of the
fundamental research and
applied commercialization
Example: Project labs should support
prototype testing (e.g., human
interaction, complex tasks in real world
environments)
NREC
Primarily Applied
Commercialization
Robotics at NREC is for
highly-trained, industrial employees
to develop client projects with
clearly deﬁned goals and testing
speciﬁcations
Example: Creating a robot that paints a
craft in 5 min or less that can be
commercialized by CMU partners
Fluid Spectrum

Interdisciplinary Science Public/Learning Spaces
51
Lobby and Cafe Bio Teaching Labs Classrooms Galleries
Dynamic and inviting
lobby to process
access, ﬂexible event
space, cafe, and indoor/
outdoor connection
Space for fundamental,
intro, and advanced
biology instruction
focused on student
project work
Flexible classrooms
designed to support
diﬀerent styles of
teaching and learning in
both full class, small
groups, and individual
learning modes
Spaces for CMU-
curated as well as
travelling exhibitions,
programs, and
performances

Interdisciplinary Science Lab and Office Space
52
Wet Research Labs Computational Labs Core Labs Offices
Flexible research areas
with dedicated lab
stations and shared
equipment for
hub-based
Dry or damp lamps to
support computation
research such as user
studies, fabrication,
sensing, & visualization
Shared resource for all
research scientists in the
facility for robotics,
imaging, and analytical
instrumentation
Efficient offices to
support concentrative
work and meetings
with 1-2 guests

Robotics General Use and Instruction
53
Lobby
Space to welcome
visitors and provide
ﬂexible space for
events and cafe
overﬂow
Cafe
Space to socialize,
meet and connect
over a simple meal or
coffee
Visitors Center
Space to educate and
showcase the history
of robotics and
breakthroughs to
visitors
Childcare
Space to care for
children to enable
workforce training and
support faculty
families
Pepper Parlor robot cafe, Japan
Town Hall, Boston Dynamics The Exploratorium Museum Home Depot childcare center
Instruction Rooms
Spaces to host events,
conferences and
workforce
development courses
Analytics Classroom, Temple

Robotics Work & Study Spaces
54
High Bay
Space for 5-10 project
teams, for large scale
robotics testing in
controlled “natural”
environments such as
disaster zones,
agriculture, or lunar
landscapes
Low Bay
Space for 1-3 project
teams for robotics
testing in human scale
environments such as
residential, retail, or
healthcare
Damp Labs
Space for researchers
within four labs to
accommodate
hands-on research
and prototyping by
theme (e.g. Action,
Perception,
Cognition, Interaction)
Workspace
Space for 120
full-time workers in a
mix of private ofﬁces,
workstations, project
rooms and meeting
rooms for research,
admin, and incubator
teams
Pennovation Center
Imperial College London DataSite Ofﬁce
Study Spaces
Study seats and
phone booths to
support informal
collaboration and
touch down study by
students and visitors
EPIC Space, Boston University
GRASP Lab, UPenn

Robotics Research & Building Support Spaces
55
Wet Lab
Space for experimentalist
materials science research
on “softbotics” in a space
with a BSL-1 designation
Indoor Water Tank
3.5 meters deep with
gradual sloped entry at one
end to support aquatics
and amphibious research
Shops
Machine shop, wood shop,
carbon ﬁber shop,
electronics shop, and clean
makerspace to support
prototyping and repairs
Building Support
Wellness rooms, central
storage, server rooms,
janitor closets, loading
dock, trash and mail rooms
to support operations
Marine Building, Plymouth University
shared lab, University of Oregon TechSpark, Carnegie Mellon University Wynright robotic truck unloader

Poll and Discussion
What challenges in interdisciplinary planning are you facing on your
campus?
a. Bringing disciplines together to solve problems
b. Enabling expansion when supply of campus space doesn’t
meet demand
c. Making the most of connections with community and
industry
d. Other (Please share)
Poll Everywhere?
56

Supply & Demand Using Miro
Touch on tools used for virtual
engagement
Benefits:
- increased participation;
- more democratic/voices heard;
- more nimble/agile=allows for
greater flexibility/adaptability when
changes happen
57

Planning at the Frontiers of
Science and Robotics
SCUP 2022 Annual Conference
July 26, 2022
58

SCUP 2022 Annual: A Tale of Two Planning Projects: The Frontiers of Science and Robotics

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