The Helix Innovation Center

The Helix is a joint effort between the University of Dayton and Emerson Climate Technologies. What sets The Helix apart from other innovation centers is the creation of collaborative space where engineers, researchers, academics, and industry professionals work with customers to advance new technology concepts in real-world environments. There are five model research laboratories within the facility to simulate the real-world issues and challenges.

The fully operational model labs include:

Supermarket – a 2,500-square-foot model food store complete with refrigerated cases, dry goods shelving and integrated controls for lighting and point-of-sale systems.

Data Center – a 1,000-square-foot model that replicates the precise temperature and humidity control requirements of a data center.

Light Commercial Building – The center itself is a lab for researching and testing commercial building controls and HVAC technology.

Commercial Kitchen – a 1,500-square-foot commercial kitchen model simulates warm and cold climates.

Residential Home – a 2,000-square-foot two-story, three-bedroom “home inside a building” serves as a working laboratory to test innovations in comfort, energy savings, and technologically connected home concepts. The fully furnished home module features ambient controls to simulate a range of global weather conditions, from sub-zero to hot and humid.

The Innovation Center also contains three learning labs and a large collaboration area strategically located for close interaction with the labs. Users describe the building as a 40,000 square foot sandbox where they can experiment and play.

Fox served as Architect of Record, responsible for the architectural design, interiors, furniture selection, and graphics.