The Panum Building in Copenhagen is a large research and education facility of the University of Copenhagen. The building, which occupies a prominent location in the city centre, houses the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. A major extension of the building was needed to provide room for new laboratories and teaching facilities. The project also provided an opportunity to create a new canteen, a large bicycle parking area and a new entrance for the entire complex. Two briefs were written for the project: first a competition brief by The Danish University and Property Agency, and then a detailed project brief by the selected design team. Strategic objectives Functional requirements Technical requirementsThe competition brief for theThe functional requirements forA lot of the technical project stated that its objectivethe project put a lot of emphasisrequirements in the brief are was to create a new setting foron the interaction betweenrelated to the lab spaces, many world-class internationalresearchers in the building.of which were required to health science knowledgeAccording to the brief, a standardaccommodate specialist research production. Reflecting theresearch floor should ideallyon genetic modification. increased importance ofaccommodate three researchAmongst other things, such external funding, the briefgroups, of 15 people each, whoresearch comes with stringent stated that the new researchwould then share a commoncontainment requirements. facilities should help thezone containing a lunch room,The brief specified, for example, university to attract more grantskitchenette, conference roomsthat there should be a negative and more partnerships withand informal meet/work spots.pressure differential between external companies. On topThe distance between thesethe lab and outside rooms and of that, the brief emphasizedshared facilities and the workthat special air filters should that the new facilities shouldareas of the researchers hadbe installed to avoid genetic help the university to attractto be short. The brief stated:material escaping the lab spaces first-rate researchers from theExperience shows that if thevia air flows. Other typical international research elite. distance to such functionstechnical requirements were that In terms of architecturalis too great, they do notall finishes should be resistant to quality, the university explicitlysupport the researchers socialdisinfectants and that any joints noted that it was lookingbehaviour. Other functionalshould be completely sealed to for a high-rise structurerequirements related to themake sure the rooms were gas-with a slender and elegantflexibility of lab and officetight.composition and convincingspaces. Floors should be easily sculptural qualities. Theadjustable to accommodate the building was to becomefrequent changes in research nothing less than a landmarkprogrammes. The brief used for world-class health research,the term dance floor to refer which will form part ofto a concept of flexible floors Copenhagens urban landscapeon which mobile lab furniture and skyline. and equipment can be freely positioned.