Henry Adams provided the MEP and fire protection engineering design for the award-winning, new Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention. The museum was awarded Best Small Project, and ultimately Best Project overall in the Southeast region by Engineering News Record (ENR) as part of the Best Projects awards competition. 

The interactive exhibits foster creativity in individuals and are meant to inspire the minds of future inventors as well as early entrepreneurs.  The museum features exhibits that highlight the invention of Gatorade, history of great American inventors, as well as interactions of the brain.  The museum also includes workshops designed to provide an immersive learning experience. Other spaces include a main hall in the center, a fabrication lab, a creativity lab, classrooms, and neuroscience, entrepreneurship, Gatorade exhibit halls, outdoor educational terrace, and a sculpture garden. 

The main hall symbolizes the collaboration of ideas based on creativity, science, and nature. The intricate atrium resembles the anatomy of an eye with a skylight pupil in the center surrounded by an iris of texturized metals and panels that overlap within the vortex shaped space. Connecting galleries spiral around the main hall. This project required innovation from all contributing teams. Henry Adams made sure to provide the MEP engineering design consistent with the museum’s purpose to foster creation. 

The mechanical engineering scope included HVAC and associated building controls. The plumbing engineering scope includes sanitary, vent, water, gas, and fire suppression systems. The mechanical systems included variable volume packaged rooftop units with energy recovery wheels and air terminal units with electric reheat coils. The electrical engineering scope includes power distribution, interior building lighting, site lighting, lighting controls, and lightning protection. The communications engineering scope includes telecommunications/data, cable television, and public address. The electronic safety and security scope includes addressable fire alarm systems, intrusion detection system, and video surveillance system. 

The expansive windows utilized around the perimeter of the building provided ample opportunity for connection to the outdoors and the adjacent Depot Park area. Integrated daylighting controls allowed the building to take advantage of available sunlight and limit the use of artificial lighting in many spaces. This strategy along with the use of energy efficient LED lighting and occupancy controls resulted in a 50% lighting energy savings compared to code requirements. Lighting also enhanced the use of outdoor learning spaces and connected the building to walkways in Depot Park.

Additional Information:

Location	Gainesville, FL
Construction Value	$9,300,000
Owner	Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention
Architect	GWWO, Inc./Architects

Go Back