Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES)

The FAES promotes advanced education in the sciences to support biomedical research within the NIH intramural program. This project consolidated the Foundation’s services and provided a new Student Faculty Academic Center which created a campus focal point for the student community on the NIH Bethesda campus. The Academic Center included technology-enhanced classrooms, teaching labs, a bookstore and cafe, Faculty Dining Room, Graduate Student Lounge with recreational facilities, a Graduate School, Health Insurance Program, and office space for FAES administration. The new facility allows the FAES to offer traditional courses as well as distance learning and webcasting for hosting high-profile speakers and instructors from such places as NASA, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University and Duke University. The design team worked closely with the NIH and FAES to develop interior standards that would brand Foundation’s identity within the Clinical Center building. One of the most exciting successes of the project was the ability and creativity of the design team to recapture 15,000 sf of abandoned space to create a terrace for ceremonial events.