Though the directors of U of T’s fledgling Centre for Cellular and Biomedical Research (CCBR) can’t predict exactly where science will take us, they do have a very concrete vision for what they hope the CCBR can accomplish.

“Who knows what will happen in 50 years” said James Friesen. “This building is being created to allow for new ways of thinking about science to emerge.” Friesen, along with Cecil Yip, will co-direct the Centre.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the facility was held Sept. 25.

As phase one of a two-phase project, the CCBR—to be located just west of University Avenue on Taddle Creek Road—will eventually be joined by the soon-to-be-built Leslie H. Dan pharmacy building.

Both buildings will work together with existing U of T departments to create a health-science complex, said Ron Venter, vice-president and provost at U of T. Venter added that both phases of the project might be completed as early as June or July 2005.

The CCBR will accommodate both the needs of today and those of the future by allowing for easy internal redesign. According to Friesen, “an open floor plan can be converted into anything from a completely blank floor to a biochemical lab.”

The CCBR’s layout is designed to encourage people bumping into each other. Created to allow for the combining of ideas of young and old, the CCBR hopes to be a place where keen students and established researchers will brush shoulders daily. It will have informal gardens, cozy kitchenettes and wider hallways—all features which act as a natural encouragement to interaction, said Friesen.

If all goes as planned, the interdisciplinary CCBR will be home to many different fields, including engineering, biophysics, computer science, pharmacy, and many more. Friesen said the building will house what he called “hot shots”—people who have reached the top of their discipline.

Toronto-based architecture firm architects Alliance teamed up with European architecture firm Benisch, Benisch & Partner.

Adrian DiCastri, “partner in-charge” at Alliance, described the CCBR as a “glass lantern” that will sit atop a series of gardens which will act as meeting spaces.

DiCastri is confident that the building will represent the most modern “cutting-edge attitudes toward architecture.”

“It is to include a lot of glass amenity, daylight, fresh air and views out” he said, adding that the design will open up the activities of the CCBR to the outside.

The open-concept Centre is designed to allow passers-by the chance to catch a glimpse of things happening inside the building. Activities that were once shielded from the public eye will be brought into the light with the modern “glass box” design, as DiCastri called it.

But the concept behind the CCBR’s design also has a practical purpose, added its architect. “Jim and Cecil really understand that the building will be a draw to recruit staff, it’s very intentional,” said DiCastri.