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.
![UC San Diego’s new Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building will support research and teaching in both health and biological sciences Photo courtesy Flad Architects](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UCSD_aerial_photo.jpg)
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 2, 2018
New Bancroft Campus responds to the challenges of autism through design
The 80-acre campus is located in Mount Laurel, N.J.
K-12 Schools | Nov 16, 2017
Future-proofing higher education: Understanding generation Z
There are three driving issues behind this next generation: demographic change, behavioral change, and the power to choose.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 13, 2017
Harlem Renaissance: A vacant school provides much-needed housing and a clubhouse for children
Word that PS 186 might be demolished brought out the preservationists, whose letter-writing campaign gained the support of the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
Education Facilities | Oct 3, 2017
The growing demand for early childhood education
When the design of early learning centers is grounded in the science of developmental psychology and education, these educational environments can address multiple domains of development that positively stimulate young children's physical and cognitive growth.
Laboratories | Sep 12, 2017
New York City is positioning itself as a life sciences hub
A new Transwestern report highlights favorable market and regulatory changes.
Education Facilities | Aug 3, 2017
School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University merges faculty, professionals, and academic programs
CannonDesign designed the facility, which features a 197-seat presentation hall and various control rooms.
Government Buildings | Jul 26, 2017
Spector Group unveils new law enforcement center for Nassau County
The center will serve as a regional training center for all Nassau County Police personnel.
Higher Education | Jul 24, 2017
The renovation of the business school at St. John’s University looks to keep up with the Joneses
A nearly 40-year-old space is opened up and modernized.
Education Facilities | Jul 14, 2017
Youth education center in Baltimore gets first students
Students learn environmental skills, natural resource management, urban agriculture, and water quality monitoring.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Jul 14, 2017
Angular observatory uses zinc panels to gain unobstructed view of night sky
The observatory’s pattern of lock-seamed zinc cladding alternates between the irregular site topography and the building’s geometry.