Courtesy Stantec Architecture
Aerial view of building exterior.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have joined forces to form the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Designed by Anshen+Allen, a part of Stantec Architecture, the center aims to bring together neuroscience and psychological research into an integrated clinical and academic environment on UBC’s campus. Inspired by the idea of a synapse, the $68.8 million project “collides” patients and researchers “into a singular building for mutual benefit,” says lead designer David Martin, AIA. The 135,000-square-foot project comprises two interlocking boxes, with clinical areas on the two lower levels, research areas on the two upper levels, and shared offices and meeting spaces on the middle level. A central atrium connects the building’s activities. Extensive high-performance glazing “puts science on display” to patients and the public while light-colored block walls enclose clinical areas to maintain patient privacy. Targeting a June 2013 completion and LEED Gold certification, the center will have a vegetated roof and be 50 to 60 percent more energy efficient than a baseline building.
