AltaSea and Gensler have unveiled renderings for a new 35-acre net-positive energy use “campus for innovation” on the historic City Dock No. 1 at the Port of Los Angeles.
Gensler designed the AltaSea project, which is intended to bring people together under the common goal of understanding the ocean. The plan will call for new research buildings, public plazas, and restored structures, creating spaces where visitors, scientists, and educators can develop new ocean-related technologies and learning programs.
“AltaSea will be a campus dedicated to finding ocean-related solutions to our most pressing challenges: food security, energy security, and climate security,” AltaSea Executive Director Jenny Krusoe said in a statement. “Our campus, brilliantly designed by Gensler, is flexible, dynamic and inclusive—allowing us to embrace bold new ideas and opportunities that unfold as we explore the ocean.”
The $150 million Phase 1 of construction breaks into three parts. Phase 1A will include construction of a waterfront promenade containing plazas, parks, and walkways; a dock for research vessels called Wharf Plaza; and the renovation of 180,000 sf of free-span space in existing warehouses. The Research and Business Hub will contain “clusters” that will expand technology and business applications for remote monitoring, ocean exploration, food security, and environmental sustainability.
In Phase 1B, another warehouse will be transformed into a Science Hub with facilities for oceanographic and marine biology research. More than 60,000 sf of classrooms and labs will be built for the Southern California Marine Institute, a network of 22 regional higher education institutions.
An Engagement Center is the highlight of Phase 1C. The center will house public education and exhibition programming. AltaSea will use it to welcome younger students and inspire them to pursue an interest in STEM.
A viewing structure that will overlook the campus, port, and surrounding community has been proposed for a future phase of construction.
“The legacy of lighthouses in San Pedro will find its next iteration here, but instead of emitting energy, this structure will harvest and employ advanced forms of energy generation,” writes Li Wen, AIA, a Design Principal with Gensler. “It will also include equipment that studies the climate and reports back on the energy-use and generation of the campus as a whole. As a beacon for the campus, it will mark the place where our new future will begin.”
Construction will begin on Phase 1A this year, and it is expected to be completed by 2017. The Science Hub will open by 2020 and the Engagement Center will open by 2023. No timetable has been announced for the Viewing Structure. Dangermond Keane Architecture, Rios Clementi Hale Landscape Architecture, and Holmes Culley Structural Engineer are among the project's primary consultants.
(Click images to enlarge)
AltaSea campus, with the viewing structure
Engagement Center and Science Hub
Engagement Center and Science Hub
Science Hub facade and front entry
Engagement Center audtiorium
Engagement Center exhibition hall
Research labs overlooking public galleries in the Science Hub
Related Stories
Daylighting Designs | Jul 9, 2021
New daylighting diffusers come in three shape options
Solatube introduces its newest technology innovation to its commercial product line, the OptiView Shaping Diffusers.
K-12 Schools | Jul 9, 2021
LPA Architects' STEM high school post-occupancy evaluation
LPA Architects conducted a post-occupancy evaluation, or POE, of the eSTEM Academy, a new high school specializing in health/medical and design/engineering Career Technical Education, in Eastvale, Calif. The POE helped LPA, the Riverside County Office of Education, and the Corona-Norco Unified School District gain a better understanding of which design innovations—such as movable walls, flex furniture, collaborative spaces, indoor-outdoor activity areas, and a student union—enhanced the education program, and how well students and teachers used these innovations.
![Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/Oceanographer%20John%20Englander%20Talks%20Resiliency%20and%20Buildings%20YT%20new_0.jpg?itok=enJ1TWJ8 "Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]")
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
K-12 Schools | Jun 20, 2021
Los Angeles County issues design guidelines for extending PreK-12 learning to the outdoors
The report covers everything from funding and site prep recommendations to whether large rocks can be used as seating.
Wood | Jun 10, 2021
Three AEC firms launch a mass timber product for quicker school construction
TimberQuest brand seeks to avoid overinvestment in production that has plagued other CLT providers.
Education Facilities | Jun 4, 2021
Three ProConnect events coming this fall: Sustainability (Nov 2-3), Education (Nov 16-17), Multifamily (Dec 12-14)
SGC Horizon ProConnect 2021 schedule for Education, Multifamily, Office, and Single Family events.
Education Facilities | May 25, 2021
AIA honors cutting-edge designs with 2021 Education Facility Design Award
Recipients' designs enhance student learning experiences.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
Education Facilities | May 17, 2021
Henning Larsen breaks ground on sustainable primary school in Denmark
The project will be the country’s first Ecolabel primary school.
Wood | May 14, 2021
What's next for mass timber design?
An architect who has worked on some of the nation's largest and most significant mass timber construction projects shares his thoughts on the latest design trends and innovations in mass timber.
