Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Colket Translational Research Building houses biomedical research, clinical research, clinical support office, and support facilities.

The tower includes 11 floors today, and is vertically expandable to include an additional 15 floors (11 lab floors plus mechanical) in the future. The building includes 35,000 SF of flexible research floors sub-divided into multiple compartments for fire separation. The entire complex is built on a four floor plinth containing lab support space, cGMP, Central Utility Plant and Loading/Service areas.

Behind the glass façade, lies a carefully woven configuration of spaces that provide flexibility, functionality, and clarity to the research environment. The building’s intriguing dichotomy of glass curtain wall and terra cotta cladding projects an image worthy of the nation’s preeminent children’s hospital. The solid terra cotta rain screen clad form acts as an anchor for the building and houses the building’s laboratory core, its primary function.

The laboratory concept consist of open flexible laboratories with adjacent procedure rooms designed to support various research functions.   The laboratory spaces are flexible to accommodate changes in researcher ratios and work methods.  A shared linear equipment room provides space for freezers and other noisy, heat producing lab equipment.

The design of the research tower demonstrates environmental responsibility through the use of energy efficient HVAC strategies and renewable building materials. Engineering highlights of the project include: glycol loop heat exchanger; real time air sampling control suite (Aircuity System) for lab support systems; Venturi valve room pressurization control; high momentum induced flow exhausters (Strobic fans); variable volume laboratory HVAC; occupancy sensor lighting control/daylighting; LEED gold rating.