With the opening this month of the $244 million Gwen and Jules Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, scientists at the University of Chicago have gained a facility designed to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and research flexibility.
The glass-walled structure also is visually striking, and it offers lush views of campus and the city. But that's not what excites Jules Knapp about the new center.
"It's a Mona Lisa of a building, all right, but Mona Lisa just sits there and looks at you," Knapp said. "What's really important about this building is that it will house a thousand or so researchers who may find a cure for lupus, diabetes or cancer. If the beauty and design of this building contribute to that, all the better…but let's find some cures."
The 330,760-square-foot facility at 900 E. 57th St. is a state-of-the-art home for researchers working at the interface between basic science and medicine. They will translate fundamental scientific discoveries made by biologists and other scientists into the prevention, treatment and cure of diseases.
Designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, the Knapp Center provides open, efficient and flexible laboratory and office space that encourages cross-fertilization between labs. It features few walls, most of which can be rearranged easily depending on research needs. The building also includes conference and lecture halls and several multi-story public and common spaces-all designed to enhance the exchange of ideas among the 80 scientific investigators and 800 personnel who will work there.
"A key tenet of the University of Chicago Medical Center is to translate scientific knowledge into the best treatment for complex disease," said James L. Madara, Chief Executive Officer at UCMC. "The Gwen and Jules Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery is a model incubator for achieving this vision. Its flexible, high-impact design houses an extraordinary faculty and staff working together to advance medical discovery and scientific innovation."
The research center is the culmination of a very personal journey for the Knapps, who gave $25 million for the facility. Jules Knapp grew up a couple of blocks from the new building and attended Hyde Park High School. "It was thrilling to see this building go up so close to my old neighborhood," Knapp said.
Part of their motivation comes from the story of their daughter, Joy Faith, who died of lupus despite the best efforts of University physicians to save her.
"It was very tough to watch our daughter suffer and not to have a cure for her," Jules Knapp said. "Maybe we can help someone else not have to go through that."
"We like to help others and try to alleviate human suffering," Gwen Knapp said.
The building is one of several tall clinical and research structures at the northwest corner of campus. It connects via third-floor bridges with the Gordon Center for Integrative Science and the Donnelly Biological Sciences Learning Center. Across the street is the Jules F. Knapp Medical Research Center, for which the Knapps had donated millions before this latest project.
The new Knapp Center comprises the Ludwig Center for Metastasis Research; the Beverly Duchossois Cancer Laboratories; the Kovler Diabetes Center; and the Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology. It also houses researchers from the Department of Pediatrics; the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; and the Department of Medicine's Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, and Hematology/Oncology sections.
"The University is proud of its partnership with the many benefactors who made this building come to life during an era in which scientific breakthroughs are more important than ever," said University President Robert Zimmer.
—Prof. Chuan He
