The Phase 2 addition to the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center (PNRC) is a state-of-the-art research facility that promotes world-class biomedical neuroscience research by enhancing interdisciplinary communication and collaboration as a means of facilitating innovation and creativity. The PNRC co-locates researchers from ten institutes in an innovative setting, yet the design of the PNRC emphasizes what is common about research by facilitating collaboration and communication, employing a flexible laboratory architecture that can change with the changing needs of science over time and accommodating a great diversity of research approaches ranging from animal models to cell culture to computer science.

From the outside, it blends with the campus and the neighboring community. From within, it supports and inspires in a functional and flexible design that allows neuroscience to flourish as a leading intellectual enterprise in the post-genomic era. At the heart, the center features an atrium that is a source of light, a pathway sheltered from the elements, and a magnet for informal interactions. The atrium symbolizes and amplifies the energy driving the neuroscience research of the future. Open laboratories and offices and state-of-the-art infrastructure promotes collaboration and ensures that the structure is ahead of its time well after completion. Key core technical facilities support ongoing investigations, while seminar and conference rooms provide the setting for the intellectual interactions that drive modern neuroscience. Open planning and natural light provide the final touches for a home that attracts and retains the finest scientists. The 294,000 square foot facility also features a vivarium, a cafeteria, lab support spaces and an imaging suite.