Central Michigan University's Biosciences Building is a facility devoted to the study of all living things. Clarity in its overall organization, however, offsets its technological complexity.

The building's clean organizational plan allows all elements to work together, including lab security and the desired placement of faculty and graduate students close to labs. The first floor features specialty and group learning spaces, including research labs for imaging; a herbarium; a vivarium to replicate aquatic conditions for research; staging/processing storage area for ecological fieldwork; a 100-person Active Learning Classroom and 200-person multipurpose room. Hallway breakout spaces for collaboration were intentionally integrated throughout, and unique accents, including living walls and large freshwater aquariums, are highlighted as a nod to the kind of work the building supports.

Unlike traditional lab planning, floors two through four were designed with an open lab plan to promote flexibility and adaptability for ever-changing research. A central mechanical core accommodates the design, featuring six open research labs, with two per floor flanking the core.

The building supports robust science programs in a way that's actively engaged with the learning taking place. A four-story atrium through the center connects instructional spaces to the south and glass-wrapped research labs to the north. Collaborative spaces are located to the east and west of the atrium; spaces on the east and west of the open research labs house faculty and departmental offices. Its design provides visibility into the labs, so active research surrounds students in their learning environments. Additionally, the glass atrium floods the center of the building with natural light, improving the quality of learning and positively impacting energy use.

Instructional spaces and labs were designed to spark collaboration and interaction. Connecting researchers to local aquatic ecology, field samples enter the aquatic vivarium through a wash-down room that captures invasive species into a 1,200-gallon tank.

CMU's Biosciences Building was built with various sustainability features designed to protect the natural world. Mechanical rooms centrally-located inside the research labs provide all HVAC and plumbing within the space itself, simplifying maintenance and reducing energy costs. Terracotta on the north and east exterior façades brings both beauty and energy efficiency to the high-performance building envelope. All exterior glass is fritted to mitigate direct sunlight and showcase the life and activity within the building.