Vanos Magazine

· Claremont McKenna College Robert Day Sciences Center BIG - The newly constructed Robert Day Sciences Center at Claremont McKenna College masterfully achieves multidisciplinary integration and interaction. 🏛️✨ Each floor of this 135,000-square-foot building is oriented in a different direction, guiding the flow of people and ideas among laboratories, classrooms, and the surrounding campus. 🔄📚 Opened in 2020, the center is BIG's first completed project in the Los Angeles area. 🌆 It also stands as the inaugural building of BIG's designed Roberts Campus Master Plan for CMC, which envisions a more unified campus shaped by a series of structures extending the central mall and adjacent gymnasium—projects currently underway! 🏗️💡 Situated at the eastern edge of the campus, at the intersection of Ninth Street and Claremont Boulevard, the Robert Day Sciences Center enjoys stunning views of Mount Baldy. 🏔️😍 It not only creates a new gateway for the school but also strategically fosters closer connections with other academic departments. A soaring 15-foot cantilevered canopy welcomes students, professors, staff, and visitors into a vibrant, multi-level atrium. 🌟🚶♂️🚶♀️ The façade uses glass-fiber reinforced concrete panels, which give a wood-like texture while offering the durability and fire resistance required for a modern laboratory setting. 🧱🔥 Additionally, 11,000 square feet of solar panels on the roof generate approximately 342 MWh of electricity annually! ☀️⚡ The structural design features two stacked volumes, with each pair rotated 45 degrees from the floor below. This rotation creates full-height atrium voids at the building’s core, allowing sightlines between classrooms and research spaces across multiple floors. 🏢🌀 The open areas within the atrium encourage collaboration, reflecting both the architectural and educational philosophy of the center. 💬🤝 Inside, each floor connects to the next, supported by triangular steel trusses clad in Douglas fir. The texture, rhythm, and geometry of the trusses extend to the exterior, creating a seamless flow between inside and out. 🪵📏 A grand staircase in the atrium—perfect for socializing and relaxation—connects one or two levels and leads to a café, forming a dynamic hub at the heart of the building. ☕❤️ What do you think of this blend of sustainability, design, and academic function? Have you visited any architecturally striking campuses recently? Share your thoughts below! 👇😊 #Vanos #DailyCaseStudy #Architecture #ArchitecturalDesign #Design #ArchitectureFirm #USA #BIG #Research #Campus