Acton Ostry Architects

Three seismic buttresses, each clad with illuminated glass panels featuring botanical and zoological images, enliven an extensive upgrade and renewal to a brutalist 1950s science complex located at the heart of the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus. Glass panels incorporate miniature botanical and zoological images as pixels that aggregate to form larger images to signal the nature of the work that takes place within the facility. The revitalized building houses state-of-the-art laboratories, aquaria, classrooms and administrative offices for the Departments of Botany and Zoology. Research lounges, featuring wood paneling and art glass, are sprinkled along daylit corridors, encouraging informal collaboration between students and faculty.

project

UBC Biological Sciences Complex

location

Vancouver, BC

client

The University of British Columbia

completion

2011

size

15,800 m2

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seismic buttress

sustainability

LEED Gold certified
SABMag Green Building Award

awards & recognition

2012
Sustainable Architecture & Building Green Award

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1950s brutalist facade intervention

The Biological Sciences Building is now a world-class research environment that fosters positive interactions between professors and students.

UBC Department of Zoology

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bioswale

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illuminated seismic buttresses

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core sunlight tracking and collector installation

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laboratory entrance and faculty offices

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informal research lounge

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collaborative research gathering

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botanical and zoological art glass pixels

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modular laboratory layout

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zoological laboratory

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break-out space

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tiered classroom

botanical lab support growth chamber

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botanical lab support growth chamber

In addition to its visual appeal, the technical aspects of the research space are outstanding. Faculty, students, and staff look forward to many years of productive work in the pleasing environment of the renewed space.

UBC Department of Botany