Planned on a sweep of land where the Tagus River joins the Atlantic Ocean—the point from which 15th- and 16th-century Portuguese explorers embarked on maritime journeys to discover new geographic lands—the Champalimaud Cancer Research Center in Lisbon is expected to attract top scientists from all over the world to do ground-breaking research in cancer and neurosciences when it opens in late 2010.
Designed by Bombay-based Charles Correa Associates, with RMJM/Hillier as laboratory and clinical design architect and Consiste of Portugal as architect of record, the 300,000-sf research facility consists of three main structures arranged to create a 125-meter-long pathway leading diagonally across the site toward the open sea. A plaza will be open to the public and is designed for exhibitions and performances.
The project will include several site-specific sustainability features, including a geothermal heat-sink that uses the Tagus River for temperature control and a 40x80-meter rain forest garden in the main building.