OSU Collaborative Aerospace Research Center

Corvallis, Oregon

The new Collaborative Aerospace Research Center expands the College of Engineering's Aerospace program at Oregon State University. The facility supports the research of Richard Wirz, executive director for aerospace research programs and Boeing Professor of Mechanical Engineering Design. Wirz’s primary research interests focus on plasma-material interactions and spacecraft electric propulsion. Wirz’s new Plasma, Energy, and Space Propulsion Lab will bring faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers together to collaborate.

The Center’s shed form creates an efficient and elegant laboratory space. On the north facade, where faculty, students, and visitors enter, windows are strategically placed to offer glimpses of the interior and place research on display. A garage door offers flexibility for servicing equipment. Metal ribbed siding and exposed steel beams below a cedar wood overhang lend strength and warmth to the exterior.

The interior showcases the lab’s specialized equipment. An exposed steel structure, painted dark charcoal, and clear-coat plywood serve as backdrop. Clear circulation routes and designated training, testing, and analysis spaces are essential to a successfully functioning lab.

The advanced electric propulsion and testing equipment necessitated special attention to electrical, mechanical, and spatial requirements. As one would suspect, these are powerful machines.