The Bridge for Laboratory Sciences (shortened to the Bridge) is a two-story laboratory and classroom building on the campus of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

in the town of

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

. Designed by Ennead Architects, the structure curves across the Fonteyn Kill and connects to the renovated Olmsted Hall as part of the Integrated Science Center project.

History

Vassar College in the town of

, began a project to completely renovate New England Building and Sanders Physics Building, partially renovate Olmsted Hall, and construct a new science center in 2011. In anticipation of the building's construction, Vassar's Environmental Research Institute, in conjunction with

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

's Cooperative Extension Dutchess County began to monitor the water quality of the Fonteyn Kill, a stream that runs through Vassar's campus over which the building was to be built. The Bridge for Laboratory Sciences (or the Bridge for short) cost $90 million in 2013. The main construction team was Daniel O'Connell and Sons with architectural design by Ennead Architects. The Bridge opened on January 4, 2016.

Architecture and features

The Bridge stands two stories tall and spans across the Fonteyn Kill. On one end, it connects to the renovated Olmsted Hall, making up the "Integrated Science Center", a facility with a total combined area of . On its other end, the building lets out near Skinner Hall for Music. Before the building's construction, people seeking to cross the Fonteyn Kill needed to descend a flight of stairs to cross a footbridge but the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences is compliant with the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

, making it a more accessible link across the kill. A variety of techniques are being used to prevent birds from colliding with the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, including shading fins and an

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

glaze applied to exterior windows visible to birds but not to humans. The structure is gently curved and supported by two concrete

piles Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''hemo ...

anchored in the wetland beneath. Curved

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

es are built at the top of the structure with steel extensions built downward to support the building's two floors. The top-down construction was undergone in part to protect the riparian ecosystem below the structure. It totals in floor space, making it Vassar's largest academic building. Facilities in the Bridge include a

wet laboratory A wet lab, or experimental lab, is a type of laboratory where it is necessary to handle various types of chemicals and potential "wet" hazards, so the room has to be carefully designed, constructed, and controlled to avoid spillage and contamination ...

, a robotics laboratory, a

phytotron A phytotron is an enclosed research greenhouse used for studying interactions between plants and the environment. It was a product of the disciplines of plant physiology and botany. Overview Phytotrons unified and extended earlier piecemeal effor ...

, a

scientific visualization Scientific visualization ( also spelled scientific visualisation) is an interdisciplinary branch of science concerned with the visualization of scientific phenomena.Michael Friendly (2008)"Milestones in the history of thematic cartography, stat ...

laboratory,

machine A machine is a physical system using Power (physics), power to apply Force, forces and control Motion, movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to na ...

and electric shops, a

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

, an exterior patio, and a coffee shop. Faculty offices and multidisciplinary classroom–lab spaces for biology, chemistry, earth science, and environmental sciences are also part of the structure.

References

External links

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Video tour of the Bridge from Vassar Chemistry Department
{{Portal bar, Architecture, Transport, Engineering, Hudson Valley Vassar College buildings University and college laboratories in the United States School buildings completed in 2016 2010s architecture in the United States 2016 establishments in New York (state)

History

Architecture and features

References

Further reading

External links