Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering Boston University

• LEED Gold
• ENERGY — 23% targeted reduction
• WATER — 39% targeted reduction
•   Open space and careful plant selection to eliminate irrigation

This project is designed to accommodate a wide range of research modalities to serve the specific needs of an existing scientific community and future needs to be determined. Focused initially on neuroscience and synthetic biology, the building’s capabilities are inflected towards biochemistry, testing suites and computational research. Marking a significant expansion of the Charles River Campus’s core facilities, the building also includes a state-of-the-art human Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) facility that can be used to study conditions such as Traumatic Brain Injury and Parkinson’s disease. The building marks Boston University’s first research building to front directly onto Commonwealth Avenue and creates a new “front door” for science along this major artery bringing the significant research facilities of Cummington Mall to the campus foreground. Understanding this role within the fabric of the campus architecture, CILSE is designed as a simple, but elegant and unassuming structure. Working with copper and light tan colored high-performance concrete panels, the building envelope harkens back to the materials of the original campus architecture. At the same time, however, the pure geometries, and extensive use of glass allow the building to stand on its own, delineating a gateway into the core campus.