KS Engineers, P.C. (KSE) provided civil and traffic engineering services for the new multi-story, 140,000-gross-square-foot Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics Education of New Jersey (CTSME). KSE’s scope focused on developing the site infrastructure, transportation interface, utility coordination, grading, drainage, and sustainable site design elements necessary to support a highly specialized academic and research facility. The firm prepared the complete site civil drawing package for the new building, including grading and drainage plans, utility plans, site layout information, and construction details for sidewalks, catch basins, stormwater piping, trenches, conduits, chiller water lines, gas service, electrical service, and related site infrastructure. KSE also addressed circulation and access considerations associated with campus traffic, pedestrian movement, service access, emergency access, and integration of the new facility with surrounding campus improvements.
The facility was planned as a state-of-the-art academic building supporting advanced science, technology, mathematics, and forensic education programs. Program spaces included high-performance wet laboratories for molecular biology, chemistry, and forensic biochemistry; core science and mathematics wet and dry laboratories; faculty research laboratories; sterile culture rooms; laboratory preparation and storage areas; forensic crime scene facilities for mock investigations; supercomputer and parallel computing spaces; lecture halls; classrooms; faculty offices; and supporting building systems. These uses required careful coordination of site utilities, service connections, drainage, loading access, and exterior circulation to support intensive laboratory operations, specialized equipment, and daily academic functions.
The building was designed to meet LEED Gold Certification standards, and KSE incorporated sustainable site strategies to support Kean University’s objective of submitting the project for accreditation. KSE’s design addressed Sustainable Sites Prerequisite 1, Construction Activity Pollution Prevention, through erosion and sediment control measures intended to minimize construction-related impacts on adjacent properties, storm drainage systems, and receiving waters. The design also supported Sustainable Sites Credit 4.1, Alternative Transportation and Public Transportation Access, by considering multimodal connectivity and access to existing transit resources. Sustainable Sites Credit 4.2, Alternative Transportation, Bicycle Storage and Changing Rooms, was supported through planning for bicycle accommodations and related access. KSE further incorporated Sustainable Sites Credit 6.1, Stormwater Design, Quality Control, through stormwater management measures intended to reduce pollutant discharge, improve runoff quality, and support environmental performance. These measures enhanced site resiliency, operational efficiency, and compatibility with campus sustainability goals. Through its integrated civil, traffic, utility, drainage, and sustainable site design services, KSE helped advance a technically complex campus facility that supported academic excellence, research functionality, environmental stewardship, and long-term institutional growth.
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