This urban Life Sciences Center integrates and unifies Chemistry, Biology and Neuroscience programs, currently spread among three buildings, into one facility. The phased building is a bridge, or link, between the programs both physically and metaphorically, providing an ?incubator? for interdisciplinary interaction. The curved glass office and seminar space at the corner is a beacon for the local community, as well as the worldwide research community, acting as a magnet to attract new programs and grants. The masonry and precast concrete body of the research lab block is a tie to the existing urban and campus fabric. Oversized windows with light shelves and an advanced daylight control system enrich the research environment and provide a tie to nature in this otherwise dense urban context.