The Unbuilt Medical Research Project is a 22,000 sf "think tank" facility devoted to creating innovative diagnostic and treatment modalities through research in noninvasive cardiac imaging, enabling physicians around the world to see extraordinarily clear, detailed images of the heart and to address and manage problems more effectively. Designed to encourage and enhance collaboration, the building will accommodate two internationally recognized teams of clinicians and researchers in a technologically advanced, sustainable facility featuring state-of-the-art imaging and computer research laboratories, private offices, and open office/teaming environments.
The building's unusual situation - cantilevered over a parking lot from the side of an existing structure - was dictated by the prominent yet narrow project site at the edge of the medical center's Los Angeles campus. Its form makes reference to the current sections of the human heart as studied through the cardiac imaging process. A composition of aluminum panels, channel glass, and clear glass creates a strategic facade that manipulates light and views.