Collaborative crop research

Designed to enable research advances such as crop breeds with higher drought tolerance and development of more sustainable pest-control mechanisms, the Collaborative Science Research Building brings together researchers from multiple disciplines, furthering the mission of the University of Saskatchewan's biology and agricultural departments.

Located just to the north of the existing biology building, the new, 72,000-square-foot research facility is designed as a modern expression of this technologically driven program while complementing the collegiate gothic style of the campus. Traditional materials such as fieldstone and tyndall stone are juxtaposed against a more modern palette of glass curtain wall and steel. Rooftop greenhouses, the building's defining elements, are an outward expression of the building's mission and establish the identity of agricultural research on campus.

Flad assisted the university with establishing a viable project program, planning, and an architectural vision that focuses on collaborative research. The building provides a home for researchers affiliated with the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), which seeks to develop Saskatchewan-led solutions to feed a growing world population; scientists working in fields such as plant science and water security; and several new industry research chairs.

The new facility is also designed to display the scientific and agricultural process as a means to educate and showcase the program's research. Creation of a tour path marked by several collaborative zones throughout the building places the process of scientific discovery on display for visitors and fosters opportunities for interaction among students and researchers.

Flad Architects (architectural design, laboratory programming and planning, interior design), Henry Downing Architects (architect of record)