Dr. William D. Finn Centre for Forensic Medicine

The Dr. William D. Finn Centre for Forensic Medicine mediates between the living and the dead. Monastic and quiet, the building uses light and nature to create a contemplative and serene building that addresses radically opposing functions. It houses services and people to uncover the circumstances surrounding suspicious deaths while being a place to endeavor to make people feel comfortable as they identify their deceased friends and relatives within often traumatic circumstances. To do this the architecture surrounds a courtyard garden—a sensorial place— around which all the activities of the building unfold. The garden is a place to sit, to walk, a place to smell the flowers. Experienced differently by all the occupants and visitors, it evokes senses and memories.