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The designs, when you see them, evoke feelings of both captivation and lament.

The first emotion stems from the beauty and thought that has gone into the work.

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The second stems from the fact that it will never be realized.

I’m speaking, of course, of the $590-million Edmonton Lab Hub — better known as the “superlab” — designs of which were obtained by Postmedia through an access to information request.

Yes, the same superlab that was well into construction beside the University of Alberta’s south campus when it was cancelled by the new UCP government in June.

As a result of that decision, the facility will forever exist only as a digital dream, a gigabyte of AutoCAD art, rather than a steel and concrete reality with the potential to transform the delivery of medical testing in Alberta.

Scrolling through the depictions of what could’ve been, it’s hard to look at the project now through anything but the lens of wasted opportunity.