Architecture
Located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Van Andel Institute's building was designed by famed architect Rafael Viñoly to be constructed in two phases; the first phase was completed in 2000 and Phase II opened in December 2009. The building is set into a steep hill at the beginning of "Grand Rapids Medical Mile".
The facility has many unique design elements and benefits, including:
- Windows and glass roof structures that cascade down both sides of the building provide abundant natural light, even to several laboratories; the flow of the glass roof structures evoke the rapids of the nearby Grand River
- Open spaces and layout foster random encounters and the free exchange of ideas among employees working in different areas
- On-site cafeteria
- Demonstration lab for visitors to view research in progress
- Interactive discovery wall for visitors to learn about the Institute's history, milestones, and impact
- Library with research journals, computer access, fireplace, and comfortable seating
- Next door to the recently renovated Crescent Park
- Interior design that reflects the diversity of the Institute's staff
- Custom-designed modular lab benches and work surfaces that are adjustable and easy to reconfigure
- Innovative system of climate control based on integrated design of walls, roofs and lab fixtures
- "Life," by world-famous artist Dale Chihuly, is a 14-foot glass sculpture reminiscent of the DNA double-helix that spirals from the ceiling in the lobby
- Phase II is LEED certified at the Platinum level to have minimal impact on the environment
Read more about this topic: Van Andel Institute
Famous quotes containing the word architecture:
“Art is a jealous mistress, and if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture or philosophy, he makes a bad husband and an ill provider, and should be wise in season and not fetter himself with duties which will embitter his days and spoil him for his proper work.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I don’t think of form as a kind of architecture. The architecture is the result of the forming. It is the kinesthetic and visual sense of position and wholeness that puts the thing into the realm of art.”
—Roy Lichtenstein (b. 1923)
“All architecture is great architecture after sunset; perhaps architecture is really a nocturnal art, like the art of fireworks.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)