The Institute is a campus for advanced scientific and engineering research, much of it confidential, to be constructed in the Nevada desert. The 1,000-acre site includes research and testing laboratories; an observatory with a large optical telescope; an airstrip with a maintenance hangar; and residential and community facilities for up to 300 scientists plus support staff and their families. The main campus is divided into three precincts: Research and Administration (R&A) and a Residential Community, which are linked by a Campus Commons. Combined, all three precincts are compact enough to be easily navigable on foot, bicycle or by electric cart.

The remoteness of its desert location requires that the facility be self-sufficient. Water will be extracted from local wells and harvested from the site’s small amount of rainfall. All waste water will be treated on site and reused. Energy sources will include solar, wind, and geothermal, plus potential systems derived from the institute's research. These strategies have been incorporated into, and are the source of, the architectural design expression of the project.

The R&A precinct includes 350,000 SF of laboratory space, a computing center, conference center, offices for scientists and administrators, and testing facilities. These functions are organized into discrete clusters, each around a courtyard. Each cluster is beneath a glass-covered dome imprinted with photovoltaic cells, providing electrical power and shade for the buildings below, reducing solar heat gain. Substantial gardens in between the domes regulate temperature and humidity and provide a respite from the laboratory and surrounding desert environments.

Individual housing units are based on traditional prototypes that evolved out of similar climatic conditions and employ passive energy management strategies, reducing dependence on mechanical air-conditioning systems. The units are organized along walk streets, which connect the Residential Community to the R&A precinct through the Campus Commons. The Campus Commons occupies the central zone of the campus, and includes daycare and school facilities, a medical clinic, retail, food service, and entertainment venues. Public gathering spaces are shaded by tensile roof structures that also help define and orient those spaces.

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