McDonnell Pediatric and
Basic Cancer Research Building
St. Louis, Missouri
Perkins & Will

A new building becomes the connective tissue for campus life

© Nick Merrick

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This new eleven-story research facility includes laboratories, support spaces, and offices for biomedical research. It is located in a dense section of the Washington University Medical School campus, which inspired the architects to use the building as connective tissue within this environment. Bridges and pedestrian arcades reinforce this purpose.

The building is composed of layers of brick, glass, and limestone. A gently curved transparent curtain wall, combined with a rigid wrapping form that creates an awning above, define the street façade, which conceals offices and two-story lounges behind it. A key goal of the project was to design a facility that integrated the building with the rest of the campus, and to encourage communication among researchers within the building.

By placing the building’s lobby alongside a busy walkway commonly used for campus circulation, the new facility becomes an active part of the surrounding environment. Public amenities are located in this space, allowing it to act as a meeting place for the campus population as well as for those who inhabit the building. A stairway is located to the side of this lounge, which creates a separate open, visually exciting space. The transparent, double-height lobby acts as a north-south passageway to existing and future structures. The open lobby plan is mirrored on every other story of the building, creating opportunities for informal interaction among researchers on multiple floors, thus achieving a key part of the architects’ goal for the building.

Formal name of Project:
McDonnell Pediatric and Basic Cancer Research Building,
Washington University

Location:
St. Louis

Gross square footage:
227,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$55.6 million

Owner:
Washington University, School of Medicine

Architect:
Perkins & Will
330 North Wabash, Suite 3600
Chicago, IL 60611
312-755-0770
fax: 312-755-0775