113: Art Integration | Bergami Center for Science, Technology, & Innovation

In this episode, Cherise is joined by Jay Brotman, AIA, Managing Partner and Marissa Dionne Mead, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, Associate Principal and Director of Art Integration for Svigals + Partners in New Haven, Connecticut. They discuss the Bergami Center for Science, Technology & Innovation at the University of New Haven, Connecticut.

The Bergami Center for Science, Technology & Innovation at the University of New Haven serves as the heart of campus, purposefully designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and drive innovation. Designed by the architecture and art firm Svigals + Partners, this 45,500-square-foot facility blends functionality with creativity. It fosters collaboration between students and faculty while integrating art into its architecture through thematic installations woven throughout the building.

Jay Brotman, AIA, Managing Partner at Svigals + Partners

Jay Brotman has been a planning and design leader with architecture, art, and advisory firm Svigals + Partners for 35 years. During his career, he has emerged as a leading authority on design and construction for both the institutional and corporate sides of the research science sector, and a trusted expert in architecture, planning, and design for academic facilities and campuses, healthcare projects, corporate workplaces, multifamily residential buildings, major mixed-use developments, and high-performance retrofits.

Marissa Dionne Mead, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, Associate Principal and Director of Art Integration for Svigals + Partners

Marissa Dionne Mead, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, has contributed as an artist and architect to more than 100 projects at Svigals + Partners, and directly managed over 300,000 square feet of construction projects in the education and mixed-use sectors. Among the first to hold the title of Director of Art Integration in the industry, Mead consistently unites architecture, sculpture and storytelling to create meaningful places.

In 2019, two of Marissa’s project designs received national recognition: New Britain’s sculptural Beehive Bridge, a National Award Winner in Engineering Excellence, as well as her pro-bono design for New Haven’s Botanical Garden of Healing, which was recognized as Editor’s Pick for Best Unbuilt Design in The Architect’s Newspaper. Active in multiple professional organizations, Marissa was elevated to Co-Chair of the AIA Connecticut’s new J.E.D.I. Committee and serves as Chair of Community Outreach for the AIA Connecticut Women in Architecture Committee, launching the organization’s first Remote Learning Series in 2020. She was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of NOMAct as the non-profit’s Parliamentarian-Historian.

Project Name and Location: Bergami Center for Science, Technology & Innovation at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut.

The Bergami Center for Science, Technology & Innovation at the University of New Haven serves as the central hub of campus activity.

Designed by Svigals + Partners, a nationally recognized architecture and art firm with a growing portfolio of leading-edge higher education facilities, the Bergami Center serves as a central hub of interdisciplinary academic and social activity for students and faculty alike. A state-of-the-art, technology-enhanced academic building, its design fosters inspired collaboration, an increasingly important component of workflow in high-tech and other market sectors.

The 45,500-square-foot, three-story innovation hub is organized around an artful, airy central atrium where students, faculty and administrators can congregate informally for conversations and breakout ideation sessions. The Svigals + Partners design team engaged with University of New Haven faculty in visioning workshops to develop the programming, aiming specifically to cultivate three essential skills: working collaboratively, making prototypes through rapid interaction and development, and the ability to communicate ideas.

To that end, the Bergami Center features collaborative classrooms, huddle spaces, a teaching auditorium that functions as a cinema, a live broadcast studio, and a makerspace with a wood shop, 3D printers, and CNC cutters. The building complex is also equipped with an esports management teaching, training and varsity-level competition venue, and a cafe.

Known for integrating artwork directly into architecture, Svigals + Partners incorporated thematic installations throughout the building, evoking the process by which ideas and hypotheses evolve from concepts to experiments to solutions.

Bergami Center represents the latest by-product of an ongoing collaborative partnership between the University of New Haven and Svigals + Partners — the firm also designed the acclaimed Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) adjacent to the University campus.

Strategically sited at the University's academic core, the Bergami Center is connected to Buckman Hall, home of the Tagliatela College of Engineering. The creation of the Bergami Center and a partial renovation of Buckman Hall significantly increases the available space on campus for STEAM curriculum and related studies. The fusion of these two buildings creates a critical mass of program area and collaborative spaces at the heart of the campus.

A LEED Gold Certified green building, Bergami Center was the centerpiece of the Charger Challenge, the University of New Haven's first comprehensive campaign, which culminated with the University’s
Centennial year in 2020.

The Bergami Center is named in honor of alumnus and longtime University benefactor and Connecticut business executive Samuel S. Bergami Jr. and his wife, Lois.

Project Team List:

• Owner/Operator: University of New Haven


• Architect: Svigals + Partners


• Landscape Architect: Richter & Cegan


• Interior Designer: Svigals + Partners


• Construction Manager: Consigli Construction Co.


• Structural Engineer: Michael Horton Associates


• MEP Engineer: BVH Integrated Services


• Civil Engineer: Westcott & Mapes


• Acoustics/AV Consulting: Acentech


• Food Service Design: McFarland Kistler & Associates


• Energy Analysis: Karpman Consulting

Unique Products:

• Interior Lighting: Translucent skylight panels, Kalwall Skylight


• Acoustic Panels: Navy Island Soundply acoustic panels


• Curtain Wall: Kawneer 1600 Wall System Curtain Wall


• Wood Screen: Armstrong Woodworks Grille

Photo Credit:

• Project: Peter Aaron / OTTO, courtesy of Svigals + Partners


• Jay Headshot: Courtesy of Svigals + Partners


• Marissa Headshot: Stephanie Anestis, courtesy of Svigals + Partners