The University of California San Diego has approved plans for a new Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building, with construction starting this fall. The 200,000-sf, six-level facility will be the first building on the UC San Diego campus to bridge health science research with biological science research and teaching.
The facility aims to help meet a growing demand for modern teaching and research space across disciplines at UC San Diego Health Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences. Research and teaching will focus on the intersection of neurodegenerative disease, inflammation, immunology, and infectious disease—using advanced technologies to drive discovery in academia and industry.
The design by Flad Architects creates scientific neighborhoods that support interdisciplinary collaboration and education at the interface of biology, machine learning, and advanced instrumentation. The research laboratories enable flexibility in response to changing programs and research, while the teaching laboratories integrate experimentation, instrumentation, and computational analysis.
The building program also includes shared research facilities, collaborative meeting areas, conference rooms, offices, and public spaces.
In the glass façade, perforated concrete fins serve both as a shading device and as a light shelf reflecting natural light into the building. The massing also creates outdoor terraces on each floor. The building’s upper floors are offset, creating the appearance of rotated stacks. The street level, with biological science classrooms and shared meeting rooms, will put science on display.
“The Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building will help solidify UC San Diego’s standing as a premier research institution in the field of neurobiology,” John M. Carethers, MD, vice chancellor for health sciences at UC San Diego, said in a press statement.
The project is designed to meet LEED Gold certification at a minimum. Construction on the site, currently a parking lot and service road, is expected to start in fall 2024 and conclude in 2027.
On the Building Team:
Design architect and architect of record: Flad Architects
MEP engineer: Salas O’Brien
Structural engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Construction manager: McCarthy
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Jan 21, 2019
N.J. middle school puts its small site to use
The school is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of the “Beloved Community.”
Education Facilities | Jan 8, 2019
Greenwich Village’s Grace Church School receives rooftop athletic center expansion
Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects designed the addition.
Education Facilities | Oct 31, 2018
BIG and WeWork collaborate on the first WeGrow school in NYC
WeWork is designed to help children learn through introspection, exploration, and discovery.
Education Facilities | Oct 18, 2018
Perkins+Will-designed, STEM-focused elementary school opens in Dallas
The school will accommodate 900 students each year.
University Buildings | Oct 8, 2018
One size doesn't fit all: Student housing is not a pair of socks
While the programming and design for these buildings all kept a holistic living/learning experience at the core, they also had amazingly different outcomes.
Education Facilities | Sep 20, 2018
Teen Center of Excellence under construction in Ferguson, Mo.
Arcturis is the Architect for the project.
Education Facilities | Sep 12, 2018
Security vs. 21st century learning: We shouldn’t have to choose
In order to effectively talk about school design, we need to start by understanding what a school is designed to do.
Education Facilities | Sep 12, 2018
350,000-sf High Tech High School opens in Secaucus, N.J.
The technical school is on the Frank J. Cargiulo Campus.
Education Facilities | Aug 30, 2018
Construction completes on only dedicated STEAM facility for girls in Rhode Island
LLB Architects designed the building.
Education Facilities | Aug 24, 2018
Encourage student wellness by incorporating active design into college campus architecture
Before you incorporate active design into your college campus, you need to understand exactly what doing so entails.
