The University of Louisville’s latest addition to the Medical Center officially opened its doors to researchers in October, revealing a state-of-the-art research facility on the corner of Hancock Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard. Designed by Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp, Chovan of Louisville and SmithGroup of Detroit, the new six-story, 287,000 square foot Clinical & Translational Research Building is LEED registered and awaiting approval of official designation as a sustainable building.
A new 1,700 spot parking garage directly east of the new research building has been designed by JRA Architects of Louisville and reflects the architecture and mass of its neighbor. Retail space along Muhammad Ali Boulevard has been included in the garage, but we haven’t heard of any signed tenants yet.
The streetscape surrounding both the Clinical & Translational Research Building and the parking garage provides ample sidewalk space and a plaza on Hancock Street and Madison Street. Large planters in front of the garage combined with a setback retail frontage help to create one of the most engaging parking garage facades in the city. Here’s a statement from the University:
The Center for Translational Research provides state-of-the-art biomedical research facilities to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists and researchers. The building is the new home for many of the researchers connected to the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, as well as others in pharmacology and toxicology and other areas. The facility provides much-needed research space as UofL continues to grow its research program on the health sciences campus.
Branden founded Broken Sidewalk in 2008 while practicing architecture in Louisville. He continued the site for seven years while living in New York City, returning to Louisville in 2016. Branden is a graduate of the College of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, and has covered architecture, design, and urbanism for The Architect's Newspaper, Designers & Books, Inhabitat, and the American Institute of Architects.