The Herbert Wertheim Laboratory for Engineering
Excellence is a state-of-the-art research and educational
environment, bringing together faculty, undergraduates
and graduates in cross-disciplinary ‘collision spaces’
that compel collaboration and innovation. The facility
is designed for experiential team-based and problembased
learning, co-locating various departments and
institutes of the College of Engineering, amongst them
the Computer Engineering department, the Florida
Engineering Experiment Station, the. Engineering
Innovation Institute and the Engineering Leadership
Institute.
Both a major point of intersection for the various
engineering disciplines and a building that is centrally
located on campus in close proximity to the student
union, Wertheim Laboratory provides the University
with a striking, fi rst-class image to current and
prospective faculty, staff and students, as well as
visiting faculty, alumni and private industry partners.
Grimshaw collaborated closely with laboratory
planning partner EYP to develop a range of stateof-
the-art labs, including biotech labs that support
research into cancer, cardiovascular and muscular
system disorders and neurodegenerative diseases;
prototyping labs, which enable hands-on education
and fabrication; and a telepresence facility, probing the
future of communications and networking. In addition,
the facility includes offi ces, student and faculty meeting
areas, necessary support functions and a range of
informal breakout and collaboration spaces.
The facade design responds to the site conditions,
protecting the interior spaces from the sun while
allowing views from the interior of the building.