Stanford constructed the Clark Center in 2003 to serve as the headquarters for Bio-X, a program aimed at facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists from the Schools of Medicine, Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences.

The Clark Center features completely open labs, allowing research groups to spontaneously arrange lab furniture on wheels and connect to overhead building systems from any location within the lab space. In addition to fostering spontaneity, another notable Californian feature is the open-air circulation between the lab and office blocks via outdoor galleries.

The curved plan form of the building reflects the free flow of people and ideas. Upon transitioning from "standard" rectangular lab cells to open, free-flowing labs, researchers report feeling energized, with enhanced communication and collaboration.

Two identical lab blocks are mirrored about a central elongated court and are flanked by an office block on either end. The curved, fully glazed lab spaces are oriented towards the courtyard, while service cores and lab support rooms are clustered within opaque rectangular blocks along the outer, rectangular perimeter.

The lab furniture and equipment are easily movable and can be connected to electrical and data distribution from anywhere within the lab. Achieving a similar level of flexibility for wet labs, which require mandatory hoods and connections to exhaust ventilation, would be challenging in this setup. Additionally, the completely open, floor-to-ceiling glazed floor plate could pose difficulties in placing temperature-sensitive and humidity-sensitive equipment due to potential temperature fluctuations and humidity levels.

The Clark wings consist of three lab levels above grade, along with a subterranean level on one side. The main open labs overlook the courtyard, while the support labs and core line the perimeter. Mechanical equipment is openly situated on the roof.

Surrounding the building are open-air galleries, shaded by a continuous canopy at cornice level. This canopy not only provides shade but also shields rooftop equipment from view, maintaining the aesthetic coherence of the building's exterior.

The steel structure bay is designed around a 3.2m wide lab module, with column spacing of either 6.4m or 9.6m. To ensure adequate stiffness and meet vibration criteria, floor and roof beams are constructed using heavy 0.97m deep sections. Slabs consist of 11.5cm concrete over 7.5cm steel deck.

Each of the three building blocks is served by two vertical circulation and riser cores, ensuring efficient access and distribution throughout the structure.

A fixed layout is present only in the lab support zones located between the stair and lift cores. The layout of the labs proper can be altered by rearranging furniture on wheels and connecting to the overhead services from any location within the lab.

The office block can be subdivided and outfitted similarly to any shell-and-core office building, allowing for flexibility in layout and design according to the specific needs of the occupants.

A collaborative lab building, characterized by two open lab arms embracing a common yard, is as metaphorically strong as it is practical. Both lab arms seamlessly connect to the "body" of the office and meeting block.

Placing the circulation areas outside of the climate-controlled envelope offers multiple benefits. Firstly, it maximizes the conditioned space available for labs, enhancing the overall efficiency of the building. Secondly, it reduces the cooling loads inside the building, resulting in energy savings and improved sustainability.

Furthermore, the collaborative lab area extends into the courtyard, both visually and physically, taking advantage of the mild California climate to create a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor workspaces. This design approach not only enhances collaboration but also promotes a sense of connectivity with the surrounding environment.

The Clark Center stands out for its distinctive features, including completely open labs and its grand urbanistic open arms gesture towards the Stanford Campus.

While flexibility and openness foster collaboration and innovation, they also present challenges in maintaining homogenous climatic conditions and controlling noise levels throughout the labs. Ensuring specialized air circulation, temperature, and humidity conditions for specific research areas within the open floor plan can be particularly challenging.

Nevertheless, the benefits of flexibility and openness in promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and facilitating the free flow of ideas often outweigh these challenges. Creative solutions, such as strategically placed partitions or specialized HVAC systems, may be employed to address these issues while preserving the overall openness and flexibility of the space.

Project 1999, completion 2003

Areas: 22 760m2 total, 13 560m2 useable

Lab modules 10’-6” or 3.2m

Cost: USD 150m total or USD 11’062 per m2 of useable area or USD 6’590 per m2 total

Capacity: up to 650-700 people in up to 45 labs, with approximately 20m2 useable area per person

Architect: Norman Foster with MBT Architects (later part of Perkins & Will)