Howard hughes medical institute

Medical Institute

Rafael Viñoly Architects PC as Architects

Seizing an opportunity for institutional expansion in 2001, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) initiated a competition for master planning solutions to create a state-of-the-art research campus—including laboratories, a conference center and hotel facility, and on-site housing—intended to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration in order to advance medical science. Rafael Viñoly Architects’ solution delivered an environmentally and technologically advanced collection of buildings integrated within a pastoral setting.


HHMI’s Janelia Farm Research Campus sits on 689 acres bounded by forest on two sides, within a sloping hillside and generous views of the Potomac River and the verdant Maryland fields beyond. Set into this tranquil panorama, the 1,000-foot-long Landscape Building, named in reference to its near-concealment in the terrain, emerges from the topography in a series of three descending planted terraces. Conference housing and residential village areas lie to its northeast.


What the Landscape Building conceals from above, it reveals from below. Beneath an 180,000-square-foot green roof—the second-largest in the United States—sown with indigenous vegetation, the undulating building levels contain labs, communal spaces, meeting rooms, offices, and support areas. The interior retains sightlines of the exterior plain and benefits from ample daylight exposure, despite lying partially under ground.


The building’s curving plan lends variety to its longitudinal distribution: mechanical rooms, service corridors, support spaces, and lab benches run parallel in an extrusion punctuated by alternating office/conference room clusters and open terraces. The office cluster/open terrace rhythm promotes collegial interaction and provides opportunities for identifying individuals along the building, thus furthering one of HHMI’s stated aims.


The lab achieves a new level of flexibility. Without contractor assistance, one can reconfigure, completely remove, or replace existing elements with new ones. A floor grid encases data, electrical, and gas systems, supplying interchangeable connections among furnishings and lab benches.


The labs and conference center share a common courtyard with conference housing. Visitors stay in the ninety-six-room hotel, enjoying lake views. A residential village lodges researchers and their families in comfortable living accommodations.


"At Janelia Farm," says Rafael Vinoly, "the landscape is the building: it creates a counterpoint between technology and nature that enriches the research performed there. It is a highly technical structure in terms of equipment and flexibility, and yet the entire composition looks like a natural thing."

Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art: Architecture finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024
29 Mar 2024 News
PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art: Architecture finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024

In this Archello series, we look at each of the seven nominated projects (five architecture finalist... More

Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun
29 Mar 2024 Detail
Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun

Spanish architecture firm OHLAB has recently completed Paseo de Mallorca 15, a residential complex o... More

Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo
28 Mar 2024 News
Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo

Global transdisciplinary architecture and design practice Snøhetta has designed a new entranc... More

10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete
27 Mar 2024 Specification
10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete

Precast concrete is made by casting concrete in a reusable mold. These molds are made of various mat... More

Sameep Padora and Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India
26 Mar 2024 News
Sameep Padora & Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India

Mumbai-based Sameep Padora & Associates (sP+a) has completed Hampi Art Labs in Toranagallu, a vi... More

Introducing Partner Thermory AS
26 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Thermory AS

Thermory AS offers a diverse product range that includes durable exterior cladding, decking, interio... More

Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality
25 Mar 2024 News
Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality

Brooklyn Tower, standing an impressive ninety-three stories tall with a unique neo-deco crown, is al... More

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury
25 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright have been announced as Archello Awards 202... More