A boost for Biological Sciences

Clinical health, conservation, drug discovery, genetics, reproduction—the science of the life that surrounds us.

It’s also the science behind Victoria’s soon-to-open Te Toki a Rata building. Te Toki a Rata will add 12,500 square metres of teaching and research space to Kelburn campus and will be the new home of the School of Biological Sciences.

“Biological sciences is a rapidly growing area for Victoria,” explains head of school Professor Simon Davy. “Our researchers are also high performing—we’re New Zealand’s top-ranked school for research quality in this discipline.”

The name Te Toki a Rata comes from the legend of Rata, a story with a strong connection to our cultural and natural heritage and to learning the right methods in order to succeed.

Te Toki a Rata is a long, low four-storey building, featuring double-tiered lecture theatres and open informal spaces. The building also contains several large, state-of-the-art research laboratories that will support research programmes in biomedical science, biotechnology, cell and molecular biology, marine biology and terrestrial ecology.

“We’ll be able to grow in size, use the latest technologies and approaches for our teaching and research and collaborate more easily with our colleagues in the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research and the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, thanks to our closer physical location,” says Simon.

The building also includes modern sustainability design practices such as natural ventilation and light that allow for temperature control and reduced energy use.

Te Toki a Rata will be operational from February 2018.