Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building

The entire project team was committed to the highest aspirations for the Fayez S. Sarofim Research building. The process was a collaborative effort to seek a design response equaling the expectations and goals for the facility that were held by all of the stakeholders. The design team included representatives from each of the disciplines with complementary expertise. The equally large client group included representatives from The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Texas System Office of Facility Planning and Construction. The process was the key element that led the design from the initial idea to the building that stands today. To fully comprehend what was possible and, ultimately, what was the right course of action required a high level of participation from the client and users. The process was open and inclusive, founded in a method of holistic thinking called “integrated design,” which is achieved both through organized collaboration between disciplines and through the interweaving and interconnectivity of building systems. The progressive leadership of the IMM and the UT Health Science Center established a vision for collaborative science in both the laboratory and the architecture. By embracing that spirit of collaboration, the team created a laboratory founded upon the highest principles of scientific discovery, community, human health, fiscal responsibility and environmental stewardship, enabling the prevention of human diseases.