Architectural Concept
The planning for both the scientific program and the campus facilities was intertwined, with each part overlapping and influencing the other. The architectural designs of the buildings and the laboratories are aimed at achieving Janelia Farm's central objectives—collaboration and flexibility.
The design is guided by four principles:
- Understand the researchers' needs versus their preferences
- Focus the planning effort on what will or could happen versus what is happening today
- Keep work spaces standardized and rational
- Make the work spaces adaptable over time to accommodate changes in research
"It is a building about nature. Nature is the centerpiece of research at Janelia Farm, and the building follows that idea."
-- Rafael Viñoly
On the occasion of the Janelia Farm Research Campus
groundbreaking ceremony, May 5, 2003.
Architect Rafael Viñoly's plans reflect the goals of the campus, and they are different from more traditional freestanding research structures in a number of ways:
- A significant amount of conference space, including meeting spaces, social spaces, and conference housing, has been included to support a conference and training program and to assure the scientific vitality of a freestanding institution.
- On-site housing and related amenities are included to support the visiting scientist program.
- The relationship of site and buildings reflects a concept of buildings that are part of the site versus structures placed on the site.
- There are easy connections between the interior spaces and the site on all the floors of the landscape building.
- The research space has been planned to encourage collaboration among small groups through the clustering of offices and the inclusion of larger shared laboratory spaces.
- The amount of office space and the arrangement of the office clusters have been planned to reflect the increasing need for dry work space as well as the need for a different type of interaction among scientists.
- The location of the office clusters reflects the programmatic need for a very close tie between the laboratory spaces and the office spaces.
- The general wet biochemistry laboratories are designed to be adaptable to a variety of functions without requiring costly or time-consuming renovations.
- Small gathering and services spaces are located at critical connections between the public corridor, labs, and office clusters to foster the notion of collaboration and interaction.
- There is a large amount of routine support space adjacent to the labs that is highly flexible, serving a wide range of potential functions.
- There is a large amount of additional support space for large or sensitive instrumentation and for future activities that currently cannot be predicted.
- The overall amount of lab, office, and support spaces is large enough to house a significant visiting scientist program.
