Roux Institute at Northeastern University

The new Roux Institute Campus, a satellite of Northeastern University in Boston, will provide a unique balance of functionality, agility and access to best-in-class education for students alongside embedded startup programs and corporate partners.

The building’s laboratory functions include spaces initially intended for:

• Materials engineering labs including bio-sensor development and testing, thermal analysis and mechanical testing.
• Human-data interaction labs, including wearable technology and group observation.
• Flexible, biology-focused wet labs designed with bioprocessing workforce development, instruction, and hosting visiting researchers in mind. 

Roux continues Northeastern’s drive for ‘science on display’ to showcase developments in digital engineering, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational biology and genomics life sciences.

HERA organized the typical lab and non-lab space into zones for collaboration, concentration and understanding. Robust infrastructure will support science-ready floor plates by allowing spaces to swing between activities and accommodate a wide range of uses. HERA determined the ideal program mix by studying Roux’s existing space and future needs. Special consideration was given to right-sizing classrooms and labs based on projected needs. Parallel utilization analyses were performed using peak hours and by working closely with both Northeastern and Roux scheduling teams.

The iconic campus design is guided by four central principles: views and connection to the waterfront; people-oriented space; sustainability and resiliency; and integrated landscape. Roux will be developed in phases, starting with learning, research and collaboration spaces, lab and office space for collaborating partners, an entrepreneurial incubator, faculty and student housing, and a small campus hotel. Additional collaboration, commercial and retail spaces will be added as this multi-purpose development becomes fully realized.