This 40,000 SF, two-story building located on the campus of Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ comprises science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classrooms and labs for academically-gifted high school students. Students have access to college-level classes and use of the college cafeteria and physical education facilities. The facility’s center atrium brings students together for community-building and collaboration. Ceilings are left open, and the exposed infrastructure and systems are a teaching tool for students — making the building itself a living laboratory.