TRIUMF (TRI-University Meson Facility) is one of the world’s leading subatomic physics laboratories.

It brings together dedicated physicists and interdisciplinary talent, sophisticated technical resources and commercial partners in a way that has established the laboratory as a global model of success. ARIEL is an integrated component of TRIUMF, its job is to implement the mission of TRIUMF as a leader in the world of particle physics research. TRIUMF wanted to create a contemporary image that reflects their leadership position.

So the new building is much more than just a shelter for a machine. It embraces the aesthetic, social and ecological aspects of TRIUMF and contributes to UBC as a whole. They’ve dubbed their new facility – “gateway to the universe”.

ARIEL is unique, as the building itself is one of the many components of the machine. And it’s strongly influenced by the geometry of the beam lines associated with the e-linac and Cyclotron, and the technical requirements of both the space and safety. The main space in the building is the Target Hall, centrally located at the terminus of the beamline tunnel at the Target Pit. A remote controlled crane is provided to move heavy targets and other components necessary for the installation of the hot cells and operations within Target Hall.

The first phase of the new Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory (ARIEL) was the construction of a security entry called the Badge Building.

It allows entry for the whole TRIUMF campus at UBC and may be one of the most technologically advanced security passthroughs ever built. The Badge Building is a pre-fabricated modular building that was built off site and transported to the location. It connects to ARIEL through a breezeway that serves as the main entry element to the secured (behind a fence) portion of the campus. A steel/wood composite structure with wood finishing elements was used to showcase the high-quality pre-fabricated construction. Full height glass helps display  movement and animate the surroundings.

This is one of only four research facilities dedicated to the study of sturgeon in the world. A rarity.

And rare in its  thoughtful design, as well. This 2-storey building is a prime example of how a small, modest and tight budget project can stand out among building groups in the campus by employing a strong but natural colour palette.

Cleverly, ordinary building material was turned into an economical but elegant solution.

The building is located on a sloped site which is at the highest point of the whole campus. It is half buried into the slope. The ground floor is fitted with large and small tanks and all tank rooms are windowless so that pre-programmed lighting can be used. On the exterior, a colour pattern that represents the harmony of earth, water and sky was employed. An artfully articulated fenestration for the facade helped the building stand out at the campus’ highest point. Among the sustainable features of this building will be a waste water discharge system that allows collection for use in a grey water reuse system in the future.

The tech sector badly needs some style.

And this 5-storey, multi-tenant research building is an eye-catching start.

It presents a strong corporate image for growing technology companies, while accommodating their diverse research needs.  The use of “plug and play” open work spaces with highly integrated services infrastructure deliver excellent flexibility in the building.

When we started design on this project we didn’t know the specific users. A little unusual, but we allowed for it in the process. We designed a space that incorporates a generic, modular, and highly flexible approach to the building layout based on what would normally be used for a commercial multi-tenant model. The resulting 3-storey research building is suitable for a wide range of research activities including highly specialized research and support office space for science and engineering. Space was built for wet labs, dry labs, offices, meeting rooms, laser labs, clean rooms, STEM microscopes and a vivarium and production studio once we confirmed the specific user needs. TASC 2 is part of the campus pedestrian network system and includes two major public spaces.

The client said:

 The design team… whose inspiration and energy led a group of researchers with diverse objectives to create a facility that established a new baseline for university research facilities...masterfully piloted an innovative solution.

Bill Nelson, Project Services Manager

This new research building uses a design/build/operate and maintain for 30 years projects delivery model. To clarify, the University of Washington owns the building, but the DBOM team provides the finished building with tenant improvements. A highly flexible design facilitates tenants of varying space requirements and science needs. Initial tenants include nano systems, mind brain and learning photonics, genome technology, biosensors, and energy research with specialized equipment such as MRI and NMR machines. The project was in collaboration with Collins Woerman Architects. CTA has been the go-to consultant for several user fit-outs. The building has been certified LEED Gold.

The client said:

“We are proud of our facility, and after 2 years of occupancy, there are no second thoughts about design. This is a tribute to Chernoff Thompson and their experience in lab design and supporting commitments to their clients.”

E. Virginia Armbrust, Director, Centre for Environmental Genomics

The third in a series of multi-tenant research buildings by Discovery Parks Trust Incorporated on the campus of the University of British Columbia, this one’s the biggest.

This 6-storey building provides space for a wide range of wet labs, and office and information technology tenants. The design of the building systems and planning of floor plates result in efficient service connections and space layouts. Tenants include emerging biotech companies, a bioinformatics company, University Liaison office, retail at grade and UBC academic users, all leasing on a commercial basis. The facility was the first LEED Silver certified laboratory building in the country.