Weill Cornell Medicine, Belfer Research Building

In conjunction with Weill Greenberg Center, Belfer establishes a new institutional identity for Weill Cornell and heralds a new era in biomedical research and bench-to-bedside clinical care.

Quality of life in the laboratory is critical to the organization of the building on its restricted urban site. In establishing an intimate relationship between offices and labs, transparency across the floor and sectional connections between floors, the design breaks down research silos and promotes academic cross-pollination.

Belfer’s design responds not only to its context but also to its users and to passersby. Its transparency sparks curiosity in pedestrians, with the ground and first-floor level spaces are visible from the street.

Both art piece and informational feature, Squint / Opera’s digital media wall enlivens the building at street level and projects the institution’s mission. The material quality of the lobby – French limestone walls, terrazzo floors and cherry wood accents – reinforces its inviting character.

The lab bench area is as open and collaborative as it is safe and efficient. Designed as a “kit of parts,” the benches and support spaces depend on a standard set of service connections to facilitate interchangeability. The repetitive module and floor plate sponsored the development of integrated vertical systems, making this design strategy particularly cost-effective.