After designing more than 15 contemporary science buildings, architect Dennis Vovos said he and his Chicago firm of Holabird & Root may have outdone themselves with the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center.

Trends in society at the start of the 21st century are witness to decreasing science literacy, and dropping numbers of scientists and engineers being produced by American colleges. The design and function of this generation of labs and classrooms is intended to play a role in reversing those trends.

“This is the poster child of great spaces,” Vovos said. “I think this is the best science facility we have done yet.”

The Kuss Center is warm and welcoming. Its beautiful atrium connects the old and new sections of the complex. It spans the space with glass, bathing the interior with natural light from the north and the south. Hanging walkways, gathering places and study nooks all gaze out over new campus vistas.

“The campus is so wonderful,” Vovos said, that the architects decided to angle the great wall at the entrance to take in a more generous slice of the beautiful view.

Natural light combines with burgundy trim, wood and slate tile to create a more natural environment where students and faculty will want to spend time. Even the two vast structural supports in the atrium are shaped like trees. “We hope people walk into the atrium and go ‘wow!’” Vovos explained.

Corridor windows open onto laboratories and classrooms in a way that demystifies science and promotes collaboration between individuals and disciplines. That interaction works the other way, too. Gathering spaces with whiteboards encourage faculty, students and interdisciplinary interaction outside of the classroom.

The faculty deserve a lot of credit for bringing the project in on time, under budget and so successfully realized, Vovos said, adding that it is among the most active and effective faculty groups with whom he has ever worked.

“This is a building that is forward-thinking,” he concluded. “It is a building that is looking to the future.”