Photo courtesy of University of Toronto

The $92-million, 222,000-sf CCBR houses interdisciplinary genomics research including the fields of medicine, engineering, biology, and computer science. The facility is a greenhouse for Nobel laureates, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in genome research. The building is designed to house between 35 and 40 faculty members and 500 students, post-doctoral fellows, and technicians.

Open plan laboratories are designed with benches that can be moved, relocated, removed, or raised or lowered. Utilities are strung from the ceiling and sinks are localized in one area. The 13-story building contains wet and dry laboratories, research offices, clustered faculty rooms, three seminar rooms, and mechanical operations on the seventh floor. The flexible and open research facility with a generic layout on each floor includes a number of sustainable design features including high-performance insulated glazing, double facade for winter and summer insulation, windows linked to HVAC shut-off switches, and separate mechanical systems for labs and offices to promote better air quality.

Internal staircases or communication passageways that connect the floors provide for easy interaction. The passageways encourage collaboration by including high-bar benches with power and data connections. All stairways lead off from the main corridor on one side of the building.

An impressive six-story internal garden and atrium is densely planted with bamboo reaching up to 30 feet high. Benches throughout the bamboo garden provide for a quiet and relaxing space. Three other internal gardens, planted with black olive trees, are located on other floors. Each floor contains a coffee bar.

Project Information
Building Owner:		University of Toronto
Building Location:		Toronto, Ontario CANADA
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Genomics and biomedical research
Project Timeline		Apr 1997 Planning Start Oct 1997 Design Start Jan 2006 Completion Last known status: Completed
Project Cost:		$92,665,319
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Atrium Biology Chemistry Education Education: Biology Education: Chemistry Education: Faculty Office Education: Lecture Or Seminar Hall Engineering Genomics Greenhouse Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory: Chemistry Laboratory: Research Office: Researcher Research
Total GSF:		222,000
Building Population:		550
Project Team
Architect		architectsAlliance
Architect		Behnisch, Behnisch, and Partner
Engineer - Electrical		Hh Angus & Associates
Engineer - Mechanical		Hh Angus & Associates
Engineer - Structural		Yolles Partnership Ltd.
General Contractor		Vanbots Construction Corp.
Laboratory Planning		Flad Architects
Landscape Architect		Diana Gerrard
Profile Created 11/01/2006
Last Updated 11/17/2006
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.

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