UBC Centre for Comparative Medicine

As UBC’s primary comparative-medicine facility, this state-of-the-art centre establishes a new benchmark for cohesive urban development within the Bio Sciences Reserve. The design skillfully navigates the boundary between public transparency and private research. A cluster of single-storey volumes, linearly organized to enable all research functions on one level, is unified under a singular, expressive folded roof. This high-performance canopy serves as a functional engine for the building, providing flexible servicing, natural light harvesting, passive heating & cooling, and stormwater collection. While security protocols require carefully controlled at-grade transparency, social and training spaces are strategically oriented to the south, offering researchers a restorative connection to the existing forest.