Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the nations oldest technological university, selected McCarthy to construct its new, 218,000-square-foot Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies Building. The project consisted of research and laboratory facilities, as well as public and administrative areas and a large atrium space featuring a glass skylight. Completed in 2004, the building houses 60 faculty members and more than 300 researchers and graduate students dedicated to researching the application of engineering and the physical and information sciences to the life sciences.  

The Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Research Building features two unique facades: a classical look designed to be compatible with existing classroom buildings on one side, and a contemporary style facing the interior of the campus. The two major L-shaped portions of the building are connected by a three-story atrium.