NEWARK, NJ –Architecture firm Francis Cauffman has been honored with a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New Jersey, as part of their 2016 Design Awards. The Merit Award for Built Projects celebrates French contract research company Biotrial’s North American headquarters in Newark, New Jersey’s University Heights Science & Technology Park (UHSTP).

The AIA is a professional organization that builds awareness of the role of architects and architecture in American society. The annual Design Awards bring public and professional recognition to design teams that have made a significant contribution to design excellence in New Jersey.

“Francis Cauffman has a great team that collaborated closely with Biotrial to understand their work and their specific needs for this building,” said James Crispino, President of Francis Cauffman. “Our building embodies Biotrial’s culture and seamlessly integrates it into the urban fabric of Newark.”

Francis Cauffman’s team included: Buro Happold (Building Systems Engineer); Thornton Tomasetti (Structural Engineer); Sciame (Construction Manager, Cost Estimator); David Langdon (Cost Estimator); Langan Engineering Services (Site Civil, Traffic, and Landscape Architect); Genova Burns Giantomasi & Webster (Land Use Attorney), Joseph A. Natoli Construction Inc. (General Contractor).

Biotrial’s Design

The 70,000-sq.-ft. building is strategically located in the Park, an urban redevelopment initiative uniting five universities and other biomedical organizations.  The high quality of the building’s design, which expresses Biotrial’s mission, has raised the bar for this redevelopment neighborhood, adding jobs and stimulating growth.

Francis Cauffman designed the building as two interlocking planes, whose materials reflect Biotrial’s values. The rear, private façade is solid black brick with matching mortar, which gives a sense of strength and solidity. In contrast, the front is a fritted glass curtain wall, communicating openness and transparency. The fritting creates movement as the light passes through, while also providing privacy. Inspired by the nature of Biotrial’s work, the designers created a ribbon of metal, suggestive of the fluidity of chemistry, to tie the two planes together. The ribbon forms an entrance canopy on the private side, moves through the building as the lobby ceiling, and reemerges on the public side to create a frame for the vestibule and finally the canopy for services.

Natural light penetrates deeply into the interior through the glass, and through asymmetrical ribbon windows in the brick façade. Inside, the building contains a laboratory, pharmacy, and clinical facilities including a 100-bed unit to conduct trials, corporate and volunteer recruitment office, a café, library, lounge, and gardens.

ABOUT FRANCIS CAUFFMAN

www.franciscauffman.com

Francis Cauffman, an award-winning architecture firm with offices in New York and Philadelphia, has supported its clients since 1954 with innovative architecture, planning, and interior design services. The practice is recognized for being on the leading edge of new investigations in healthcare, academic research and teaching, corporate research, and corporate and advanced technology. Francis Cauffman has a staff of 110 architects, planners, and interior designers and is active in 20 states and three countries. Francis Cauffman’s clients include Biotrial, GlaxoSmithKline, Fox Rothschild LP, New York University, North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, the Robert Wood Johnson Health System, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, the University of Pennsylvania, and W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.