The site design of the new Center for Science and Technology uses multiple-level entries to respond to topography and established circulation patterns while it draws upon the indigenous qualities of the area’s unique landscape to create a variety of pedagogical moments.

Off the upper (roof deck) entry, the focal core of the complex is a sunken courtyard which abstractly represents local plant communities, geology, geomorphology, and wildlife habitat.  It serves as an informal outdoor classroom while providing a visual extension of the main entry lobby and gathering space. Near the lower main entry, a more formal outdoor classroom is furnished with a permanent slate blackboard and is enveloped by seat walls of native stone and a rain garden swale with native wetland plantings.