Places for scientists to dream
IFTF’s Future Now: Biopolis and the new urban science
“…[N]ew science spaces take advantage of the city as an experimental subject. Lots of computer science and wireless researchers are locating in downtowns, or urban redevelopments, because they want to be able to prototype new technologies in urban environments, get easy access to beta-testers, or watch how people use and interact with technologies.
The relationship between Biopolis and Singapore is a little different, but arguably more profound. Biopolis is both a microcosm– a city within the city– and a space to develop the skills that Singapore sees as important for its future economic growth. The design of Biopolis is intended to attract and inspire world-class scientists; those scientists and facilities will foster the growth of a national biotech community; and that community will help drive the next phase of Singapore’s economic growth. Urban space, innovation, and the future all play off each other: the science city becomes the template for the science-driven city of the future.”
Related:
Metropolis: The Glass Lab
A genomic-research center for Harvard and MIT reflects the latest trends in university science buildings.
Metropolis: The DNA of Science Labs
Can architecture help produce paradigm-shifting discoveries? A research center by Rafael Viñoly aims to find out what makes scientists—and the human mind—tick.