Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Architect: Stantec
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Completion: 2013

A new medical center at the University of British Columbia will unite doctors and medical researchers in a completely new way.

Designed by Anshen+Allen, a division of engineering and architecture firm Stantec, the five-story, 135,000-square-foot Djavad Mowafaghian Centre will be divided into three regions: the “clinic ground,” the “research air,” and the “synapse atrium.” In simpler terms, the lower two floors will contain exam and teaching rooms for doctors, while the top two floors will contain labs for neuroscience and psychiatry researchers. Shared spaces on the middle level will include meeting rooms, offices, and a conference center. A glazed atrium etched with synaptic imagery will span the building’s five levels, enhancing order and orientation throughout.

David Martin, a principal at Stantec’s London office, is optimistic about combining patient care and medical research under one roof. “Healing and learning are meant to intertwine, the insights of one discipline informing the other to enhance patient care and accelerate research efficacy,” he said.