Case Study: Bioinnovation Center

The New Orleans Bioinnovation Center (NOBIC) was a long time coming. From the moment the project began the planning phase in 2002, it was plagued by rising construction costs and fund-raising complexities. The owners had reclaimed a brownfield site in the burgeoning biotechnology district across from Tulane University Medical School on historic Canal Street and razed the existing structure. Then Hurricane Katrina nearly washed away the entire city. When New Orleans began to rebuild, NOBIC was back on track, helped by the state, which—like other states—had discovered the economic potential of attracting biotechnology incubators. The goal was to create a collaborative environment in which fledgling start-ups could grow into successful enterprises and spread the wealth.

Local architects Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (EDR) chose a sleek, glass-and-steel vocabulary with which to express modernity while referencing traditional Vieux Carré architecture—courtyards and balconies, proportion and texture. The atrium lobby serves arrival and orientation functions, but it also provides amenities to the public, such as a 100-person event space with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and a 2,000-square-foot café directly accessible from Canal Street. Daylight floods the lobby from a partially enclosed courtyard, where a pool, supplied by stormwater, features synchronized water spouts that dampen street noise.