Architectural Brief The brief to Roelof Rabe Architects was to upgrade , redo and revamp the existing aging 14,500m 2 research facility of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , otherwise known as the Fisan Building . To accommodate current and projected growth an additional 16,000m 2 had to be added to the existing building . The end goal was to have a total combined complex functioning as one , world class facility .
As most of the existing laboratory and research environments operate on a 24-hr basis , it was of
utmost importance that the sequence of the works be planned properly and integrated into the design to minimise the impact on current operations .
The architects therefore decided to design the additional 16,000m 2 as a separate building in front of the existing building ( phase 1 presented in this article ). The ambition was to complete this new building and move some of the research divisions , including their anticipated growth areas , into the new building permanently . The spaces in the existing building , which are now vacated , will be upgraded as a second and third phase .
Biomedical Research Institute 29