Project Description
The Stempel Complex at Florida International University houses various academic and research programs combining to form the Extreme Event Institute. This institute will study and provide data to the US government, NOAA and various International Meteorological Agencies and Institutes on the effect of extreme natural events on people, society and economics. This new facility is designed to provide flexible research and teaching space serving multi-disciplinary research programs for the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Behavioral Health Research and Clinical Labs, Earth and Environment, and the International Hurricane Research Center.
Conceptually developed from various elements and studies of natural events such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis, the building is resolved around an oval shaped central courtyard. This provides day lighting on all interior spaces, allowing for maximum flexibility and internal reconfiguration, promoting self-shading, and enhancing building and pedestrian cross circulation. The central courtyard orients itself to the quad with increased connectivity from floating the research labs two stories above. The incremental building footprint offset provides self-shading solar protection along the south and west façades. The east exposure continues the alternating glass and precast concrete rhythm, trans- forming into large solar shading fins.
The Stempel Complex is currently tracking LEED Gold Certification.