University of Illinois NCSA Petascale Computing Facility

This state-of-the-art, LEED®-NC Gold-certified building, designed to withstand an EF-3 tornado, provides a secure, efficient operating environment for one of the world’s fastest supercomputers. Along with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and engineering partners, Gensler helped develop the program and plan around the computer as it was conceived and developed. With power densities up to 10 times greater than existing high-performance computing centers, the team devised innovative design and engineering solutions. The five-acre site, which can accommodate expansion, was chosen for its proximity to an existing power and chiller plants, allowing for economical utility distribution and reliable, redundant power and cooling sources.

— ENR Midwest Best Projects 2010: Award of Merit, Higher Education/Research