Center for Clinical Science Research

Stanford University has long been recognised as a centre for clinical excellence. The new Center for Clinical Science Research (CCSR) provides the School of Medicine with state-of-the-art modular laboratory and office space for its ongoing programme of research into cancer and other diseases. Its design responds to emerging trends for interdisciplinary biomedical research, encouraging intercommunication and providing flexible, light-filled working spaces in which research teams can expand and contract with ease.

The brief called for close proximity between laboratories, core support areas and offices. Two symmetrical wings frame a central courtyard, connected at roof level by a screen of louvres. Shading the courtyard from direct sunlight, the louvres create a comfortable environment for social interaction, and this space has become both the social heart of the building and a key route through the university campus. Offices overlook the courtyard through bay windows, and a bamboo screen at ground level offsets the open and social working environment with a degree of privacy for office occupants. Environmental systems take advantage of Palo Altos climate, which is among the most benign in the United States. The offices are naturally ventilated for most of the year, with mechanical assistance only on extremely hot days and the laboratory and office spaces are predominantly naturally lit. Seismic performance was a key concern: the campus lies close to the San Andreas Fault and the laboratories contain highly sensitive equipment. In response, the building employs a concrete shear-wall structural system and bridges spanning the courtyard rely on friction pendulum bearings to allow for seismic movement between the wings.

Over the years Stanford University has pioneered new approaches to clinical and scientific research. Most recently it has spearheaded an international sea change that embraces an interdisciplinary approach. The CCSR established the first wave of change at Stanford, which was consolidated by the more radical Clark Center. Together, these two buildings have had a significant impact on the architecture of research facilities around the world. Not only have they set new technical standards, they represent an exciting new research environment in which interaction between disciplines and individuals is encouraged as an essential part of daily life.

Client: Stanford University School of Medicine
Consultants: Arup, San Francisco, Davis Langdon & Everest, Arup, San Francisco, Peter Walker & Partners, Claude Engle Associates, Walsh-Norris & Associates