University of Arizona Applied Research Building

The Applied Research Building (ARB) is a state-of-the-art facility that supports space-related research and fabrication environments for space satellites, including payload integration, dynamic and cold space testing, CubeSat laboratory, imaging and sensor technology and advanced manufacturing. The building has a prominent campus presence at the intersection of a major campus pedestrian promenade and the engineering campus wall. Active lobby spaces, collaboration rooms, and open office space compose the social face of the building with views of the thermal vacuum chamber, a large piece of testing equipment that replicated conditions in space.

Sensitive cleanroom research spaces within the vibration-dampening superstructure are secured from the public and accessed independently for grant reasons. The planning is driven by the process sequence and delivery and testing of a research specimen to and from the high-bay launch vehicle payload assembly area. High-bay labs and heavy equipment occupy the ground floor for direct yard access, and clean rooms are isolated on the upper level for acoustic and vibration performance. Mechanical mezzanine space, mission operations, and collaboration space occupy the second level for the ability to support research on floors above and below.

The building aesthetic draws upon the work done inside, evoking unfolding solar sails that self-shade the building from the western and southern sun and brick patterning derived from computational modeling of radio frequencies and sensor data transmitting to and from this building to orbiting satellites.