flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Caltech breaks ground on a new center to study climate and sustainability

Building Team

Caltech breaks ground on a new center to study climate and sustainability

An undulating glass curtain wall will flood the Resnick Sustainability Resource Center with light and put science on display.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | May 20, 2022
Caltech Resnick Sustainability Resource Center
Courtesy Cannon Design.

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) recently broke ground on its Resnick Sustainability Resource Center. Designed by the Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign, the 79,500-square-foot Resnick Center will be a makerspace for scientists and a hub for research on climate and sustainability. When it opens in 2024, the building will bring together experts from physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering disciplines in shared spaces, giving them access to instrumentation that will help advance climate solutions.

“We cannot continue to raise generations in a world that is heating up, kids are choking up, and so much of our planet is burning up,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said at the groundbreaking. “This is a moral moment, and so we want to celebrate this moment of contribution.”

A timber-framed atrium will house the center’s social and collaborative spaces. Incorporating a mass timber grid shell, the atrium’s undulating glass curtain wall will flood the multi-story space with natural light. This transparent design aims to put “science on display,” according to a statement from CannonDesign.

The building’s interior 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. Scientists and graduate students won’t be the only beneficiaries of the new building. On the second floor, the center will house undergrad classrooms and labs, and every first-year undergrad will take at least one class in the building, educating them on the importance of climate action and sustainability.

The Resnick Sustainability Resource Center is made possible by a $750 million gift to Caltech in 2019 by billionaire philanthropists Lynda and Stewart Resnick, owners of The Wonderful Company.

Building Team:


Owner and/or developer: Caltech

Design architect and architect of record: Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign

MEP engineer: AEI

Structural engineer: Saiful Bouquet

General contractor/construction manager: Hensel Phelps

Caltech Resnick Sustainability Resource Center ext 2
Courtesy Cannon Design.
Caltech Resnick Resource Sustainability Center int
Courtesy Cannon Design.

 

Related Stories

| Dec 15, 2014

SHoP Architects plans to turn NY's Seaport District into pedestrianized, mixed-use area

The scheme includes a proposed 500-foot luxury residential tower that would jut out into the harbor, extending the Manhattan grid out into the waterfront.

| Dec 15, 2014

Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture launches fundraising campaign for independent incorporation

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced today that it approved a possible path toward independent incorporation of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture by raising $2 million before the end of 2015.

| Dec 12, 2014

Dunkin’ Donuts launches certification for green restaurant buildings

The company aims to build 100 new DD Green-certified restaurants by the end of 2016.

| Dec 10, 2014

International Olympic Committee releases first images of new HQ in Switzerland

Designed by 3XN, the new headquarters is located within a park on the shores of Lake Geneva and adjacent to historic Château de Vidy, which has been the iconic home of the IOC.

| Dec 9, 2014

ABC economist predicts continued construction industry growth in 2015

In his latest report, ABC's Chief Economist Anirban Basu forecasts nonresidential construction spending to expand by roughly 7.5% next year, led by the power, lodging, office, and manufacturing sectors.

| Dec 8, 2014

Moshe Safdie wants to reinvent airports with Jewel Changi Airport addition

A new addition to Singapore's Changi Airport, designed by Moshe Safdie, will feature a waterfall and extensive indoor gardens.

| Dec 5, 2014

Plotting on the go: 3D-printed mechanical compass can print CAD drawings with high precision

Design student Ken Nakagaki has adapted a device to work with CAD software to replicate digital files on paper.

High-rise Construction | Dec 1, 2014

ThyssenKrupp develops world’s first rope-free elevator system

ThyssenKrupp's latest offering, named MULTI, will allow several cabins in the same shaft to move vertically and horizontally.

| Nov 26, 2014

USITT Selects Bahrain National Theatre for Honor Award

The Bahrain National Theatre will be recognized with an Honor Award by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) in 2015. 

| Nov 25, 2014

Study: 85% of employees dissatisfied with their office environment

A vast majority of office workers feel open floor plans cause multiple distractions and that more private spaces are needed in today's offices, according to a new study by Steelcase and research firm IPSOS.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021