Boston University celebrated the dedication of the newly named Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering last Thursday, September 14. The dedication event included remarks from Mr. Kilachand himself as well as Mayor Marty Walsh, BU’s President and Vice President Robert A. Brown and Gloria Waters, and BU Board of Trustees Chair Kenneth J. Feld. The afternoon’s speakers commented on the dedication and attention to detail of the design and construction team, the magnificence of the new building and its place in Boston’s growing innovation economy. The Mayor spoke about a pivotal moment for Boston and pointed to the Center as place that will “attract the best and brightest to our city.” Mr. Brown commented on the “magnificent building,” saying it is a “flexible space that is totally agnostic. And everything in the building shows that, from the open labs to glass walls.”
From left: Gloria Waters, Robert A. Brown, Rajen Kilachand, Mayor Marty Walsh,
and Kenneth J. Feld
The nine-story, 170,000 SF building supports a wide range of research modalities to serve existing and future scientific communities. Rajen Kilachand, the donor and BU trustee whose gift supported construction of and research in the facility, says he believes the new center’s combination of researchers from medicine, engineering, and neuroscience will be the model for future life sciences research, in both academia and industry. The building was designed in conjunction with this goal. The project embraces the notion that collaboration happens everywhere – in the corridors, at the desks and in the labs. The building contains a largely shared environment that minimizes privatized, enclosed work spaces.
People gathered outside the Center for the grand opening.
We are very proud and excited for BU to open this new building with such fanfare and gravitas, and can’t wait to see what will come from this important milestone in education and research.
Related:
Boston University Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering
Newest BU Research Center is Built for Collaboration
Art Inspired by Science at Kilachand Center
New Kilachand Center Links Key Research Disciplines
Each year, PAYETTE embarks on a collaborative effort to make our design services accessible to local communities through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. This year, we celebrated our 8th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service by partnering with 7 local nonprofits:
- Breaktime @breaktime
- Brighton Main Streets @brightonmainstreets
- Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition @masstpc
- The Elizabeth Peabody House @elizabethpeabodyhouse
- Greater Ashmont Main Street @greaterashmont
- Greater Grove Hall Main Streets
- Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts @animalprotectioncenter
To learn more about each of these projects, visit the link in our bio!
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