A rooftop extension of Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall, the Intelligent Workplace enables demonstrations of innovations in building enclosure, interior, HVAC, and telecommunication systems. By breaking the massing of the structure into a series of modular bays, the roof form both maximizes solar performance and creates a scale sympathetic with the rhythms of the terra-cotta facade below. The interior is planned as a village that encourages interaction while retaining areas for greater individual privacy. Users are served by a highly integrated building system chassis which is flexibly designed for future investigation and research.

The Intelligent Workplace houses faculty and graduate student offices, learning/resource labs and conference facilities. As a lived-in office, research, and educational environment, the project provides a testbed for assessing the performance of new processes and products. Its construction demonstrates innovative and high performance assemblies in its enclosure, mechanical/electrical systems, interior finishes, and furnishings. The learning labs provide students and professionals hands-on learning about thermal performance, air quality, spatial performance, building integrity, visual performance, and acoustic performance.

The 7,000 square-foot penthouse addition was a joint project of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Swiss architect Pierre Zoelly, working with the professional staff of Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics. The CBPD is a demonstration project of the Advanced Building Systems Integration Consortium, a university/industry partnership established by Carnegie Mellon University.