Enhancing Yale University's world renown research, the Daniel L. Malone Engineering Center provides flexibility for an ever-changing field

Yale University’s Daniel L. Malone Engineering Center celebrates the University’s engineering and applied sciences research programs with a bright and technologically advanced building that complements the surrounding residential neighborhood.  Balancing the University’s need for laboratory space on a challenging site with a wide variety of surroundings, the Malone Engineering Center provides a flexible, innovative building where research can thrive.  

A unique site ignites inspiration 

The Malone Engineering Center is surrounded by three very different environments: a wooded pedestrian and biking trail, a bustling city street teeming with students, and a historic 1849 National Register house. On what appears to be a rectangular site from the street, the Malone Engineering Center is located on what is actually a narrow triangle formed where a canal once cut diagonally across the block. At the diagonal of the triangle, facing what is now the Farmington Canal Greenway, a gently curving glass wall spans the full length of the building, its transparency offering views to the wooded landscape outdoors. Fronting Prospect Street, one of Yale’s main academic thoroughfares, a façade of limestone maintains the rhythm and scale of neighboring buildings. 

Future-proof for a changing scientific landscape 

Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and interaction among research teams, the glass wall encloses the building’s major circulation corridor and is cantilevered from the main structure to create an open, column-free space. Each research suite is perpendicular to the common corridor, with labs at the core of the building and offices adjacent to the hallway. Natural light streams through the labs through windows placed on both sides of the offices. In addition to wet and dry labs for biomedical engineering and physical sciences, the Malone Center includes the Frederick P. Rose Teaching Laboratory and seminar rooms. 

“The building demonstrates PC&P’s understanding of the needs of researchers and students; faculty and staff appreciate that the layout makes it convenient for them to collaborate. The University also appreciates that the building is designed to be adaptable and will meet our needs for many years, even as research continues to change.”

Setting sustainable firsts 

Yale’s first LEED Gold rated building, the Malone Engineering Center approaches sustainability with a five pronged approach: site, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials and indoor environmental quality. The combination of a high-performance exterior envelope with the use of lighting controls, daylighting, and a highly reflective white roof reduce the demand for cooling and the use of energy. Native or adapted plants create a verdant, welcoming environment outside while also eliminating the need for irrigation.