A Lab with a View

Gould Evans teamed up with local firm Delawie Architects for this new project on the cliffs overlooking La Jolla. Photo ©Darren Bradley.

Last night was the annual Orchids & Onions event, put on the the San Diego Architectural Foundation. One of the standouts and Orchid winners was this project, above. I've been a volunteer for this organization for several years now, photographing many of the winning projects. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to shoot this one.

View from the front shows how the building is terraced into the hillside. Photo ©Darren Bradley.

The NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center is a LEED Gold project that has done a great job of truly embracing its location with a terraced design that cascades down the hillside. Each level has a green planted roof that provides the courtyard and outdoor space for the level above.

Photo ©Darren Bradley

The courtyards and atriums are like villages to encourage interaction between the offices. Photo ©Darren Bradley

The team managed to bury the parking garage underneath the building, thus rendering it invisible. And by keeping the buildings terraced into the hillside, they were able to maximize the views and site lines - not only for those in the buiding, but for hikers and cars on the road above.

Photo ©Darren Bradley

The building 's tones and materials blend in with the surrounding environment very well. Solar panels on the roof, a high-efficiency mechanical/electrical system, sunscreens, and high performance curtain window walls all contribute to the sustainable features. There is no A/C in the offices. People are expected to simply open their windows if they get too warm. What a novel concept!

The new facility includes 125,000 square feet of office and lab space for 275 scientists. Photo ©Darren Bradley

There is also a unique, ginormous 500,000-gallon Ocean Technology Development Test Tank, which can mimic ocean water temperatures and conditions for anything from arctic to tropical. 

Anyone for a swim? Photo ©Darren Bradley

Hard to tell what you're looking at here, but this is a view into the side of the pool from a porthole window. Photo ©Darren Bradley

There is lots of lab space, as you would expect...

This girl was going through seal poop to determine what they were eating. Photo ©Darren Bradley

This is where they dissect large fish and marine mammals to determine what killed them. Those are snorkels in the background. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Photo ©Darren Bradley

There's even a fantastic conference center with an unbeatable view.

Photo ©Darren Bradley

And the lunch room isn't so bad, either...

Photo ©Darren Bradley