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An open lab for beautiful and daring exploration
About UsSupporting scholars across all fields & levels of study
ApplyA new way to approach the university experience
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An unconventional space for unconventional ideas
See Who We Are200+
Scholars pursuing interdisciplinary projects
$600, 000+
Funnelled to fellowships and programs
40+
Different disciplines hosted at B21
900+
Workshops, community gatherings & speaker events
BLUE Programs
BLUE—Beautiful, Limitless, Unconstrained Exploration—leading scholars to build ideas beyond the acknowledged, the recognised and the comfortable
How to Join
Cohort-based fellowships
The BLUE (Beautiful, Limitless, Unconstrained Exploration) fellowship, developed at Building 21 over the last eight years, drives our cohort-based programs. BLUE brings together scholars across diverse research disciplines and academic levels, offering structure, mentorship, community, and the conditions for new discoveries to emerge.
Fully interdisciplinary
Building 21 focuses on the process of exploration, not just results. We seek the accelerator effect of merging diverse disciplines — what new paths can we discover when philosophy tackles physics, when healthcare and music intersect, or when chemistry challenges our understanding of free will?
No credits, no grades
Our programs are driven by the pursuit of discovery. With no credits or grades, we ask bold, original questions. We seek uncharted territories of ideas, concepts, and designs. We train our scholars to think beyond the acknowledged, the recognized and the comfortable.
Scholars
We’ve support hundreds of McGill undergraduate, Master's, and PhD students across all disciplines in their exploration
An active scholar community
Current CohortThe current cohort of scholars and their projects pursued at Building 21 today.
The next generation of thinkers
All Scholars8 years and over 200 scholars building knowledge with Building 21 since 2017.
BLUE Alumni: Where are they now?
Alumni TestimonialsRead about our alumni and their paths after being part of our BLUE Program.
Our alumni are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and creativity at these institutions
Visit Us
Come experience Building 21 yourself at 651 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal
See weekly calendar
Special Guests
We invite curious thinkers, builders, and explorers around the globe to B21
Watch Special Guest Talks
Joshua Roebke on The History and Literature of Science
Watch here
Michael Lapsley | Founder of the Institute for Healing of Memories
Watch here
Prof. Leah Price | Author & Book Historian
Watch here
Azeem Azhar | Founder of Exponential View
Watch here
Prof. Darryl Haggard | Observing Black Holes
Watch here
David Krakauer | President of the Santa Fe Institute
Watch here
Prof. Frédéric Gilbert | The Ethics of Implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces
Watch here
Prof. Paula Williams | The Psychology of Awe
Watch here
Refik Anadol | Media Artist & Director
Watch here
Prof. Paul Yachnin | "What did we do right?"
Watch here
Author Alexander Weinstein | Creative Writing Workshop
Watch here
Artist Karen Tam | Eating Gold Mountain Dreams
Watch here
Prof. Angus Fletcher | The Brain and Narratives, The Limits of AI
Watch here
Betty Edwards | Learning to Draw for Thinking's Sake
Watch here
Dr. David M. Peña-Guzmán | When Animals Dream
Watch here
Francesca Panetta | Creative Director at the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality
Watch hereInstitutional Ventures
See Building 21's latest projects, partnerships, and features in the news
B21 Productions & Ventures
Get involved
Contribute to shaping the future of education and research