Header image: Flickr user Jeff Hitchcock via Creative Commons
(n.d.) UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences Building A New “Tree” Blossoms At UBC
https://www.uccgroup.com/project/a-new-tree-blossoms-at-ubc/
- Inspired by two trees intertwined together, the unique design pays homage to nature and makes the building feel like it’s right where it belongs amongst the neighbouring views of snow-capped mountains, forest and the Pacific Ocean.
- Meeting rooms in a series of glass cubes jut out from the buildings west side reflecting surrounding foliage and abstractly forming the branches of the tree. Unaligned staircases within the faculty branch out and form pathways between floors for students to roam and board-formed concrete placed in unusual angles form the metaphorical roots.
(Dec 17, 2019) UBC’s Futuristic Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
https://vancouver.skyrisecities.com/news/2017/12/ubcs-futuristic-faculty-pharmaceutical-sciences.30290
The interiors — replete with wood, concrete and glass finishings — are an abstract interpretation of the anatomy of a tree’s branch system. The structure is then given a “tectonic manifestation” that yields a more geometric form. The reimagined tree trunks support atria that facilitates the entry of natural light into the laboratories and offices, where glazed walls give educators direct sight lines to students working in the classrooms
(May 28, 2013) ‘Cubist tree’ blooms at new UBC sciences building
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/cubist-tree-blooms-at-new-ubc-sciences-building/article12218509/
- Featuring a design inspired by the structure of a forest, with unaligned staircases that wander between floors like branches, and atriums that draw sunlight deep into the structure, the building seems a natural fit on a campus renowned for its beautiful setting.
- “If you want to attract top talent, you’ve got to attract them with something more than just money, more than just salary. It’s got to be a great facility,” said Vancouver architect Roger Hughes, who said universities are increasingly recognizing the importance of having buildings with international drawing power. “The Americans have done this very, very well for years. UBC and Canadian universities are just getting on to the importance of this approach.”
(n.d.) UBC’s new pharmaceutical sciences building claims six awards: has any recent building in B.C. won more?
https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/power-smart/business/programs/success-story-ubc.pdf
- architect Gilles Saucier has said it was designed “as a way to represent two trees interlacing like the roots coming down to the ground.”