NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ— Philadelphia-based architectural design firm Ballinger has received a Merit Award from the New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its imaginative design of the New Jersey Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, a building that will serve as Rutgers University's focal point for interdisciplinary collaboration between the school's departments of food science, nutrition, public policy, pharmacy, exercise science and sport studies, genetics, agriculture and health sciences research.

“At Rutgers University, Ballinger has created an extremely compelling design that sets an example for educational institutions in New Jersey and beyond,” says Kurt Kalafsky, AIA, president of AIA-NJ. “The design of the New Jersey Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health focuses on sustainability, but the sustainable features of the building also elicit joy from an aesthetic perspective. From a human participation point of view, the building is incredibly appealing.”

The New Jersey Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, brings together researchers of many departments, and serves as a community gathering place through a pre-school, conference areas, labs and community areas, includes wet and dry laboratories, shared instrumentation space, computing facilities, faculty and administrative offices, a computer server room, “smart” lecture halls and classrooms (with smart board technology), and flexible spaces to accommodate the changing needs of the program.