Realizing there would be a growing demand for cybersecurity professionals, the University of Delaware College of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Newark, Del., turned a former metal foundry into one of the most dynamic cyber ranges in the country. Designed by Page, Washington, D.C., the new iSuite includes a cyber range, collaboration lab and design studio with electronic work benches, media scape lounge complete with five, 70-inch monitors and four, 55-inch monitors, and a Makerspace, an imagination space laboratory where students can conceive, design, prototype and test their ideas and systems. The Cyber Range is a core discipline lab with a full suite of computer and networking capabilities to hold live-fire cyber defense and warfare training combined with electronic test and measurement instruments to allow integration of exercises with physical devices.
Metal fabric highlights state-of-the-art collaborative teaching space
Photo: Jacob Krupnick
The 4,500-square-foot project features 750 square feet of 5/16-inch, 15-gauge aluminum Fabricoil with a powder-coated satin copper finish from Cascade Architectural, a division of Cascade Coil Drapery Inc., Tualatin, Ore., as innovative ceiling and wall elements.
Working directly with the college, Page used 3-D printers and a student-created virtual reality model to develop a half-scale mock-up that demonstrated that inverting the metal fabric would be successful. Lou Krupnick, AIA, LEED AP, associate principal at Page, says they’ve seen metal fabric draped as a catenary before, but this was the first time someone used Fabricoil in the wrong direction. “We reversed the fabric and used its tensile properties to produce a curve that way.”
Photo: Jacob Krupnick
Hovering over the collaborative hub, the coiled wire fabric weaves through the room-wide lights, providing a well-lit atmosphere and effective light diffusion through the space. Additionally, the coiled wire fabric walls add dimension to the space without obstructing views.
“Coiled wire fabric really fit into the electrical genre of the collaborative space,” says Krupnick. “The aesthetic capability and design opportunities with Fabricoil are boundless, and we are pleased to have utilized the material in an all-new way.” Additionally the project features energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and dedicated outdoor air supply (DOAS), which is key to the facility’s energy efficiency. And, transom skylights that had been covered up during prior construction were uncovered and reincorporated into the new design.
The $2 million iSuite is part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s 125th anniversary celebration. University officials say the innovative space had an “immediate and noticeable increase in enrollments,” helping the school to project an image that truly speaks to students.