Los-Angeles-based CO Architects has released the plans for the Biological Physical Sciences Building (BPSB), a new life sciences facility at the University of California in San Diego. In order to “blend the richly diverse fields” of neurobiology, chemistry, and biochemistry, the seven-story, 128,000-square-foot building will promote collaborative research and visibility in teaching spaces.
Our goal at UC San Diego is to create opportunities to maximize interdisciplinary collaboration between multiple research and academic units, said Jennifer Knudsen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Principal at CO Architects. We want the building to accommodate a range of research activities and teaching models capable of evolving over time.
Inside, the building will include space for biology and chemistry research, instructional space, a 175-seat auditorium for research symposia, and a permanent home for the school’s nationally recognized Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility.
Twelve labs will be supported by a satellite vivarium with short-term holding and procedure rooms to study the brain at a more fundamental level.
Upper levels will feature wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glazed surfaces to provide natural light for labs and learning studios that allow for visibility into these spaces without disturbing the occupants.
Teams and visitors in the building will be able to meet in conference rooms, gather on the main exterior terraces with views to the Pacific Ocean, and breakout to informal scholarly spaces.
The building is additionally oriented to optimize natural lighting and exterior views and will utilize façade materials like self-tinting glazing and honeycomb glazing to address solar heat gain.
Further sustainability measures include high-efficiency fume hoods, chilled beams in labs and offices, air quality monitoring in research labs, and a 45% water-use reduction in response to California’s drought.
Learn more about the project here.
News via CO Architects.
