Essentially a makerspace for scientists, Caltech’s Resnick Sustainability Center will be a dynamic hub for critical research into the most pressing climate and sustainability challenges we face.
Designed by our Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign, the building will unite experts from across physical sciences, life sciences and engineering disciplines in shared spaces with access to unparalleled instrumentation to advance novel solutions that extend beyond any single discipline.
The Sustainability Center’s transparent design puts “science on display,” helping spark the imagination of passersby.In the building’s core, key spaces include a biosphere engineering facility, a solar science and catalysis center, a remote sensing center, a translational science facility, teaching labs, and lecture and interactive learning spaces.
Naturally, the design creates a highly sustainable building that reflects the work of RSI. “We knew that most advanced aspect of the building will be the actual research that’s happening inside but we wanted to also make sure that it was as responsive to the environment as possible,” said Mehrdad Yazdani, design principal on the project.
Playing a starring role is mass timber in an “expression of carbon reduction and renewable materials. A soaring, timber-framed atrium will house the center’s social and collaborative spaces, and the swooping glass curtain wall flooding this multi-story space with natural light will incorporate a mass timber grid shell.
In addition to providing abundant natural light, the glazed facade will be treated with aluminum fins tuned to shade the interior while maximizing performance. A basement level connected to the atrium will also benefit from natural daylighting.
The building won’t just benefit graduate students and scientists coming together from varying disciplines and departments. The center’s second floor will be populated by undergraduate classrooms and labs, and every freshman will have at least one class in the building.
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