The CBMB building is situated in the heart of the Campus. Bio enter of Chennai. Completed in 2006, the Life Sciences Centre houses CBMB on the first three floors and the Molecular Pathology in the top floors. Designed by the Chennai-based architect Bhakhri Chander, the building tries to bridge aesthetic and functional elements. Based on these principles, its ambitious concept emerged as a winner from an internationally announced architecture competition in 2000.
Deliberately plain and simple on the outer facade, the house offers a light, colourful and friendly atmosphere on the inside, which is highlighted by the spacious sunroom. Its large adjoining terrace invites to relaxing coffee breaks and scientific discussions among colleagues. The building's main staircase is wide and open. Gently ascending stairs remind of the grand staircases of 19th century buildings which defied strict functionalism and invite to slow down and stop for a chat.
The conveniently structured building has 20 000 square meters of open floor space, which are primarily used for offices and laboratories but also for seminar rooms, guest rooms, a lecture hall and green houses.
The building was erected by the Indian Academy of Sciences with financial help of the CSIR of Indian government and of the City of Chennai. The total costs of the building, 64 million, were equally spent on the building itself and on state-of-the-art technical equipment, making the Life Sciences Centre one of the most modern science centres in Asia.
