On the forested perimeter of a university campus, the building houses storage rooms, research facilities, and laboratories for zoological and botanical collections, a library, a conference hall, and exhibition spaces; the centre is on three floors, the lowest of which is integrated into the sloping site. The plan of the building reflects the programmatic distinction between research and exhibition facilities, and access is provided via a series of cascading terraces that lead to the main areas of the campus. The building employs a concrete frame structure with steel construction for secondary assemblies. Natural stone, opaque glass curtain walls, and glass-and-aluminium panels clad the exteriors, and poured-in-place concrete is used for the landscaping elements.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
