SRG Partnership

The Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Research Building champions team science in its quest to be one of the premier cancer laboratories in the world. Its goal to end cancer by doing research differently was mirrored by the dedicated efforts of an integrated project delivery team which challenged the traditional design-bid-build process, engaging owner, architect and contractor from the earliest stages of the project to minimize cost inefficiencies and ensure all voices were represented throughout. The dynamic, hands-on design process, in which the design team, engineering consultants, contractor and trade partners were physically colocated adjacent to the site, built a culture of trust and transparency that resulted in a powerful building that promotes the collaboration of a range of researchers and users in order to produce stronger, more holistic results in the name of ending cancer.

Completed in 2018, the 301,612sf building houses ___ scientists and is situated on Portland’s South Waterfront, at a crossroads of the OHSU tram, Interstate 5, Moody Avenue and the Tillikum Bridge while overlooking the Willamette River to the east. Reducing the number of research floors to seven while increasing the size of each floorplate allowed us to incorporate communicating stairs for better connectivity throughout the building. Upon observing how the Knight scientists work together, we designed laboratory and office suites in interconnected “neighborhoods” to facilitate adjacencies and overlap between experimentalist and computationalist scientists for stronger research collaboration. These neighborhoods retain the modest scale researchers prefer, while providing the flexibility to reallocate space as needed. Extensive glass walls create visual connections reinforcing the collective identity of the Knight Cancer Institute while also allowing more daylight into the building.

Gathering spaces for people include a central kitchen, an intellectual lounge with rooftop terrace offering views to the Willamette River and the Cascade Mountains beyond, a 200-seat auditorium that welcomes community events, and casual seating throughout the building for chance encounters to foster the Knight’s collaborative culture.