Building design Designed by renowned architect Richard Meier ’56, the four-story 250,000-square-foot facility will have a crisp, modular, modern look and structure that meets the current and future needs of life scientists but also blends comfortably with Cornell’s existing architectural landscape. In keeping with Meier’s signature designs, the building will feature clear glass windows throughout to bring in as much natural light as possible, allowing passers-by to see activities taking place within the facility.

Building layout

• Flexible, interdisciplinary laboratory space on all the building’s above-ground floors will occupy the eastern side of the building, while offices will be located on the western side. Labs and offices are designed to accommodate the research equipment and collaborative interactions required by life scientists. Academic programs and faculty will be interspersed across the floors to facilitate interdisciplinary research. This will include social scientists and humanists studying the ethical implications of life sciences research.
• Two-story Learning Center wing that branches out from the building’s western side toward the Biotechnology Building. The Learning Center will be a focal point for idea exchange and both formal and informal contact among faculty, students, staff, and visitors. The multi-purpose space will feature lecture halls and conference rooms, a tiered interactive teleconference room, and a full-service café.
• Public, open spaces between the Learning Center extension and the Biotechnology Building, providing an atrium, lobbies, and additional space for informal discussion and collaboration.
• Additional specialized laboratories for basic plant and animal science research in the building’s basement, with highly controlled space to study genes and plant growth as well as low-vibration space to conduct critical work such as imaging analysis. Underground tunnels in the basement will connect to the Plant Sciences Building and the Biotechnology Building, making the building even more accessible to faculty and students across the university.

Other special features

• The Innovation Development and Economic Application (IDEA) Center, a first-of-its kind facility at Cornell that will support the start-up and formation of biotechnology and life sciences-related companies as well as the commercialization of university-developed technologies.
• State-of-the-art distance learning capabilities and communications technology to facilitate collaborations between Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medical College faculty and to provide the very best learning environment for students.
• A stair tower with a glass block at the building’s north-end elevation, which will light up the building at night.

To learn more about investing in the Life Sciences Technology Building, please contact
Jim Mazza
Campaign Director, Special Projects
607.254.7497
jam16@cornell.edu