Princeton’s Board of Trustees submitted building plans to the Princeton Town Council’s planning board on Dec. 15, 2023 for a new building — the Quantum Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering. Much like the ongoing project south of Prospect Avenue to complete the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), the building is the latest in a series of steps by the University to focus on research and expansion of the sciences. It also features sustainable design as part of the University’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2046.
In the June 2023 update to its strategic framework, the University described the moment as “ripe for a game-changing investment in the University’s engineering departments and related interdisciplinary units.”
The University first established the Quantum Initiative in 2019, spanning across several different departments, including the Department of Physics and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. According to a University press release, the goal of the new institute is “to bring together and support faculty and students across science and engineering who are pushing the boundaries of discovery around quantum information, particularly in the areas of quantum computing, communication, and sensing.” The initiative focuses on four research areas: Quantum Systems Experiment, Quantum Systems Theory, Quantum Material Science, and Quantum Computer Science.
Princeton researchers have made major strides in quantum research in recent months. In December 2023, Princeton physicists quantum mechanically entangled individual molecules for the first time — meaning that molecules stay correlated to each other even if they are millions of light years apart. This signaled a breakthrough in molecular study and has many practical applications in the world of quantum science, from simulation to information processing. The new building will house the Quantum Institute’s future work related to these advances.
The building plans, which were submitted by the architecture firm Hammel, Green & Abrahamson, reveal that the building would be located on the area that is currently occupied by the Strubing and Clarke fields, the current fields where the University baseball team currently conducts practices and plays their home games. This area is bordered to the northwest by the residential neighborhoods on Ivy Lane and Fitzrandolph Road and to the southeast by the current Princeton Football Stadium and the Finney and Campbell fields.
The fields will be relocated to the University’s Meadows neighborhood in West Windsor, which will also include graduate housing, which is expected to open in Spring 2024.
According to the schematics provided to the Township, the building will consist of three main buildings connected by corridors, with a basement level being the lowest level and going all the way up to the third floor. Outlined in the schematics are lab spaces, classrooms, offices, and an auditorium. The proposal includes a geo-exchange field for native species and greenery as part of the University’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2046.
Similarly, the new School of Engineering and Applied Science building includes a series of sustainability features, including “Energy-efficient HVAC system and controls,” “Energy-efficient lighting and controls,” “Geo-exchange Heating and Cooling,” “Green roof,” and “Healthier materials and finishes,” according to the University Facilities webpage.
The initiative would add to the growing list of ongoing construction projects on campus, including the renovations of Dillon Gym, the reconstruction of the Art Museum, and the completion of Hobson College.
Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor at the ‘Prince.’
Matteo Torres is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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