10/20/15  Portland, Ore.

Construction of a new research building for the Knight Cancer Institute could begin as early as June 2016, according to the latest update from the project team. It should be move-in ready in July 2018.

“Collaboration is at the heart of most of the design decisions we are implementing,” says project liaison Tiffani Howard. The guiding principles have a lot to say about building for team science:

Intellectual and Social Hub: The [research] building will be the heart of the Knight Cancer Institute. Services and amenities for all of the Knight Cancer Institute will draw others to meet and collaborate there, promoting a sense of community. Possible examples of such amenities include social events, scientific conferences, and seminars.

Non-Territorial: Researchers will think of themselves as co-owners of the entire building while merely temporary occupants of a particular lab area. Lab heads should expect their space assignments to be reviewed frequently and should expect to move to different parts of the building as needed to support scientific collaborations.

Vertical Campus: Function The building will function like a vertical campus. The first floor of the building will be public space where building occupants can interact with members of the OHSU community and the public. It will contain both traditional retail space and public entrances, a food-service hub, as well as a state-of-the-art conference center. Access to the remainder of the building will be secured, but will maintain an open and welcoming environment. The upper floors will have an engaging community feel much like a high-tech company working toward a common goal in a creative team environment.

Shared Scientific Resources: The Knight Cancer Institute will maximize efficiency by centralizing shared scientific resources to the extent appropriate. In some cases this will be achieved by centralizing a given service for the entire building, and in other cases, two or more labs may share common equipment and lab staff. This model will have the added benefit of fostering opportunities for researchers to interact with one another.

Strong Relationships: The Knight Cancer Institute will continue to have many industry and academic partnerships. It will regularly host “embedded’ staff and equipment of its industry partners, both in specific labs in the building and sometimes in dedicated space set aside to support an industry partnership.

For more details about the planning and design, check out the project site on O2.