Millenium Biologix

Headquarters & Research Facilities

Millenium Biologix

Headquarters & Research Facilities

The new building for the biotechnology company Millenium Biologix in Kingston, Canada, should house the firm’s new headquarters, as well as its production facilities. Parallel to designing the building, a master plan for a research park, of which the Millenium Biologix project would be the first component, was developed.

The site of the study is an area of roughly triangular shape, encompassing ca. 7.4 ha, fronting Lake Ontario at Horsey Bay adjacent to the regional airport. The terrain has a gradual slope, dropping almost six meters from the north side boundary close to the airport terminal, down to the southern edge at lakeside.

The overall scheme has evolved in response to the exceptional qualities of the site, in particular its relation to the lake.

In contrast to the squat buildings surrounded by large asphalt lots symptomatic of industrial developments, the concept proposes an elongated, slender building typology, fully oriented to the south in order to take advantage both of the views and of natural daylight. The building is organized over a series of terraces, and its appearance to the north is minimized.

The site sits on a limestone stratum, with shallow topsoil. This local condition will be taken advantage of in carving out the terraces, and the architectural language itself employs the same stratified appearance of the limestone as do the retaining walls seen in the landscape fronting the lake.

  • Location

    Kingston, ON, Canada

  • Client

    Kincore Holdings Ltd.

  • Architect

    Behnisch Architekten

  • Design

    Schematic Design 2003-2006

  • Gross

    5.000 qm / 53,819 sq.ft. first phase, extendable to 10.000 qm / 107,639 sq.ft.

  • Competition

    Direct Commission 2003