In 2009, Patkau Architects added a new environmental science-based campus precinct to the sprawling University of British Columbia lands. The Beaty Biodiversity Centre and the Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory border Main Mall, the school's central north/south corridor, hugging a landscaped courtyard space with a new block of buildings. 

Beaty Biodiversity Centre, image by Xicotencatl via Wikimedia Commons

The Beaty Biodiversity Centre contains 125,000 square feet of space devoted to a natural history museum, research laboratories and related offices. Perhaps the interior's most striking feature is an exhibition space displaying a preserved Blue Whale skeleton, observable through large glass windows that abut the grassy courtyard.

Beaty Biodiversity Centre, image by Flickr user Jock Rutherford via Creative Commons

The 55,000-square-foot Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory is located on the northern side of the courtyard, and features an atrium that connects the building's four floors. Social spaces are situated next to the atrium, with large public rooms also located on the ground floor, while faculty offices and laboratories are positioned on the upper levels. 

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