Buildings

Biology Sciences Building

Formerly:Pharmacy Building
Address:50 Sifton Road
Use:Classrooms
Laboratories
Constructed:1962
Architects:Blankstein, Coop, Gillmor and Hanna (now Number Ten Architectural Group)
Engineers:Epp Siepman Engineering (2011)
Tours:Part of the QR Code Tour

More Information

Former home of the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba, the building at 50 Sifton Road now houses the department of Biology Sciences. The Department of Pharmacy was created in 1914 although it was not until 1970 that it became its own faculty. The department was first located on Notre Dame, at the Health Sciences Hospital location, before they moved to a location on Broadway and finally to the University's Fort Garry campus in 1949. The Department occupied an army H-Hut (temporary structure) until the construction of this new building by local firm Blankstein, Coop, Gillmor, and Hanna in 1962. In 2006, the Department of Pharmacy vacated the building and returned to a location on Notre Dame. After renovations in 2011, the building was made to accommodate and house the Department of Biological Sciences.

The Biology Sciences building is long and narrow, considered to be very contemporary in its design for 1962. The exterior finish of the building is of rough-hewn, random patterned Tyndall stone veneer. This choice of building material was more traditional and likely chosen to blend with adjacent structures. The north and south walls have large aluminum windows, which lighten the stone facades.

The 2011 renovations involved the complete replacement of all major mechanical systems, the conversion of four floors into science labs, classrooms, lecture halls, offices, and student areas.

Design Characteristics

  • Rough-hewn, random-patterned Tyndall stone veneer exterior finish
  • Large aluminum windows on the north and south walls

Sources