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Platinum B-Side The two buildings, composed together end-to-end, are very similar. A sky-lit central atrium runs north-south through the length of each, allowing natural light to infuse all four levels. The master plan of the Biodesign Institute includes two additional east-west buildings, to be integrated via a pair of atriums connecting perpendicularly to those in Buildings A and B. The planned additional buildings which would bring the total floor area to nearly 800,000 square feet (74,300 square meters). The main entry for the combined buildings is part of an asymmetrical facade composition that includes the unusually elegant louvering system. "Our research attempts to imitate nature's design. So in constructing our facilities, we strove for minimal impact on the natural environment that inspires us," said George Poste, director of the Biodesign Institute. Specific green-building strategies used in the LEED-Platinum Building B, also known as Phase Two of the Biodesign Institute project, include: Natural Lighting and Efficient Cooling and Ventilation Water conservation Low-Impact Materials Before the building opened to the public, a two-week flush-out was performed to improve indoor environmental air quality. The facilities are designed to foster cross-disciplinary interaction in support of the Biodesign Institute goals. Glass-walled laboratories and office space offer transparent views of each other across the light-filled atrium that separates them, and the height was limited to four levels to encourage use of stairways. The designers hope that crisscrossing paths through the public spaces will provide researchers with ample opportunities for impromptu meetings. "What we created was the idea of a large connecting space, or as we call it, a three-dimensional collaborative space," according to Larry Lord, FAIA, LEED AP, a science principal with Lord Aeck & Sargent. "So, all the floors are associated with an atrium that goes north and south, and then in the future, east and west so that everyone is connected in a bigger sense within the buildings." The 175,000-square-foot (16,300-square-meter) Building B was completed in 2006, by a joint venture of builders Sundt Construction and DPR Construction, with funding from a 2003 Arizona legislative appropriation to support infrastructure improvements at the state's three universities. The 172,000-square-foot (16,000-square-meter) Building A was funded by university capital funds and opened in 2004. The facilities, located near a new light-rail station set to open in 2008, represent the largest investment in biotech research infrastructure in Arizona, and the Biodesign Institute itself is said to be the largest generator of federal biomedical research funding in the valley. The research agenda is aimed toward integrating biology, medicine, engineering, nanotechnology and advanced computing. The institute also provides hands-on laboratory research experience for more than 250 university students per semester. Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...
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