海角视频

The University of Texas at Dallas, Edith and Peter O鈥橠onnell Jr. Athenaeum

Dallas, USA

海角视频鈥檚 building services engineers helped to shape and develop highly efficient and impactful MEP solutions for a new interdisciplinary district that will bring students and staff together from across faculties at The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas).

The University had a vision for a 12-acre cultural district, the Edith and Peter O鈥橠onnell Jr. Athenaeum 鈥� an arts destination for students, faculty, and the local community. The institution鈥檚 aspiration was for an interdisciplinary district that would bring the arts into dialogue with other disciplines. The idea of the classical 鈥渁thenaeum鈥� 鈥� a meeting place for knowledge exchange in the arts, humanities, and sciences 鈥� was a key inspiration.

The new district within the University鈥檚 campus at Dallas is designed to bring together staff and students from different disciplines and faculties.

Our MEP experts helped to shape cost- and carbon-efficient systems for the new buildings.

We developed an underfloor heating and cooling system for the theater space using displacement ventilation technologies.

We also developed a radiant trench system to ensure against glazing condensation during the winter months.

Challenge

In the 18th century, the term 鈥渁thenaeum鈥� referred to academic and social clubs where art, science, and music were presented and debated. For architect Morphosis, the challenge was to reinterpret this model for the UT Dallas campus in a way that would foster interdisciplinary encounters while remaining welcoming and accessible to both students and the public.

海角视频 was engaged by the architect to bring building services (MEP) expertise, insight and design to the team. The key MEP challenges were ensuring simple, efficient cost-efficient systems that maximized the project budget, while ensuring the comfort of the buildings鈥� end users.

The Edith and Peter O鈥橠onnell Jr. Athenaeum will be compromised of three main buildings: a new home for the Trammell and Margaret Crow Museum of Asian Art Collection (Phase One), a 600-seat performing arts hall (Phase Two), and a museum for the traditional arts of the Americas (a future Phase Three).

Solution

Phase One of the district, the Crow Museum of Asian Art, was completed in 2024 and features 16,000ft虏 of gallery spaces, conservation and art storage facilities, the Brettell Reading Room, classrooms, and administrative offices.

Working with stakeholders and the wider design team, 海角视频 acted as the creative driving force for MEP systems, ensuring solutions efficiently met the project鈥檚 briefs. We supported the team up to Detailed Design in Phase One. In Phase Two, 海角视频 played a consulting role to help navigate solutions with local engineering firms and ensure that the project鈥檚 sustainability goals were kept throughout the development of design. This meant continuing beyond Detailed Design, playing a key role on the implementation of the MEP designs.

We developed efficient systems to maximize the project budget, while also optimizing infrastructure and connections to the campus鈥� central plant, to minimize the operational carbon intensity of the campus where possible.

Our team developed a design for a displacement ventilation system for the theater space. We were able to showcase the benefits of the displacement system over an overhead system 鈥� both in terms of operational efficiencies, but critically also in terms of how the design would better ensure the comfort and wellbeing of those using the space. The system provides air ventilation within a plenum void beneath the floor, which then utilizes displacement ventilation technologies to cool or heat the space above. Key leadership from 海角视频, ensured that both the architect and structural engineer designed a plenum devoid of large leakage points.

Another key coordination point between the MEP and architectural teams emerged from the architect鈥檚 proposal for extensive glazing. To maintain comfort and prevent condensation, the team designed a radiant trench system to serve these areas.

Value

The Edith and Peter O鈥橠onnell Jr. Athenaeum represents the latest milestone in a period of significant growth for the arts at UT Dallas, an institution that has historically focused on business, science, engineering, and technology. The development will enrich UT Dallas鈥� science, engineering, technology, and business students with exposure to the arts, music, dance, and theatre. The district will allow students to exercise these talents and showcase them for their fellow students and the university community, enhancing a dynamic campus life and increasing student retention.

海角视频鈥檚 MEP engineers delivered cost effective and impactful MEP systems to ensure the comfort of students, staff and visitors.