Description
The scientific facilities of University of Toronto are among the leading institutes in the field of cellular and biomolecular research. Altogether, 400 scientists will work there. The main idea of the design concept refers to a multidisciplinary work philosophy and develops a spatial design under the heading ”collaborating/cooperating/communicating”.
The new building will be built at the heart of the existing campus between King’s College and Queen’s Park. It has been designed as a transparent twelve-storey box floating above a public area. The ground floor zone, treated differently from the main volume above, is not governed by technical laboratory requirements but was rather designed according to landscaping aspects. An essential part of the concept is the idea of preserving the existing public path network which links the campus to the city centre and Queen’s Park. The adjacent building to the west is connected to the new institute by a transparent roof, creating a multi-storey green atrium that also joins the open ground floor with the laboratory areas above.
The typical floor plans comprise a core zone with open plan laboratories with work desks allocated behind the façades. To the west, a circulation area with lounge qualities fostering communication is located in front of the service area. The workplaces for theoretical research are arranged at the south gable end. Multi-storey green spaces add spatial differentiation and support informal interrelations.
The fully glazed façade provides optimal daylight levels for laboratories and offices. It is supplemented by an intelligent daylight control system. In order to handle the varying climatic conditions on the south side and to allow for a partially natural ventilation of the offices allocated here, a glazed double façade was installed. The integrated solar blinds and the interior windows can be controlled and opened by the users themselves.
The technical building infrastructure runs in horizontal ducts starting from two technical floors located at medium building height and on the roof. Due to their specific technical requirements the laboratory areas receive mechanical ventilation. Depending on the respective technical requirements of the laboratories – for instance the future use as a dry-lab – supplementary natural ventilation is also considered an option.
Drawings
Site plan
Schematic sketch of building
Ground floor of the plaza with surroundings
Upper floor with laboratories
East elevation
Conceptual model: the “glazed box” is inserted right into the existing university campus
Photos
Model photograph of the south side: the new building with its plaza on the ground floor will provide a bustling link to central Toronto
Model photograph of the east façade: The design is based on transparency and openness
Originally published in: Hardo Braun, Dieter Grömling, Research and Technology Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2005.