An Innovative and Sustainable New Facility

​​Located in Chalk River, Ontario, the Science Collaboration Centre at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Chalk River Laboratories site is one of a suite of three projects on the campus delivered with integrated project delivery that feature a timber structure supporting CNL's transformation towards a more carbon-literate campus.

​As an innovative and sustainable new facility to provide central planning and collaboration space for CNL’s growing science and technology program, the Science Collaboration Centre on the main campus features a six-story mass timber structure built onto a gently cascading site toward the Ottawa River Valley. Designed to meet federal requirements for net-zero carbon-ready facilities, the building bridges east-west and north-south travel between campus facilities and common spaces.

​A multipurpose building with flexible, lofted office spaces atop a mix of conference and meeting space levels, the Science Collaboration Centre houses 44 meeting rooms, collaborative flex spaces, a university-style auditorium with 200 theatre-style seats, a welcoming library space and a rooftop terrace. Additional space is dedicated to a data centre. The facility draws CNL engineers, researchers and support staff together with international and academic partners in modern, flexible and dynamic space, enabling collaborative nuclear science innovation and research that will help build a brighter, more sustainable future for Canada and beyond.

Together with the Support Facility and the Minwamon Building, the Science Collaboration Centre shares a common attention to innovative construction techniques and details, to the natural setting, and to advanced mass timber construction — honouring the region’s deep logging/lumber history, its economic well-being, and its indigenous territorial roots.