The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research

Situated at the heart of the existing downtown campus, between Kings College Circus and Queens Park, the building creates a new university presence on a busy city thoroughfare. Both the physical appearance and work environments reflect the university’s leadership in genome research and its role in uncovering the genetic foundations of disease. At the same time, the project bridges the historic character of the surrounding campus structures with CCBR’s cutting-edge technological needs.

A glass roof spanning the newly created interior courtyard creates a large atrium, while double- and triple-height gardens ascending the tower define the building’s layout and appearance, offering a valuable extension of individual workspaces. The relatively shallow floor plans enable maximum use of daylight and—technical demands permitting—allow for natural ventilation. The layering of the facades provides both shading and glare protection and a distinct individual expression.

Beneath the transparent structure, the public concourse houses offices, seminar facilities, and a faculty cafeteria. Its architectural language, shaped by site constraints, intentionally contrasts with the rectilinear structure above—creating a new public forum for the university, where a modulated landscape preserves existing public through-fares.