UCSD Health Sciences Research Facility

UCSD Health Sciences

Biomedical Research Facility in La Jolla

By Dylan Ford

 

            UCSD has a new 196,000-square-foot Health Science Biochemical Research Facility, which is expected to receive LEED Platinum Certification.  The first thing you notice, once entering into this seven story interaction space, is the cast-in-place concrete staircase.  Concrete was a great decision for the staircase because this durable material doesn’t need too much maintenance.  To keep its appearance looking new I would make sure to seal it every 9 months or so and use mild cleaning agents while mopping.  This staircase includes frosted glass panels with LED, lighted handrails.  The LED lighted glass panels are done in a vertical repetitious pattern which can be seen throughout the lobby, drawing your eyes up to the top floor.   This concept is aesthetically appealing and adds a good variation of contrast in textures to this space.  As for the materials used, LED lighting is the way to go, with its minimal electrical usage and variations in colors.  The glass is a good material because it is low maintenance and upkeep, however it may be more susceptible to scratches and possible breaking if hit forcefully.  Putting both of these materials together creates a nice light source and a barrier wall for this staircase.   

 

 The balconies are enclosed with rift-sawn white oak wood panels and guardrails.  This type of manufactured wood is great for straight flat surfaces and has an interesting natural look to it.  Unfortunately, this style of manufactured wood is less sustainable on the environment because it produces more waste in the manufacturing process than other styles of sawn woods.  Due to the waste, this makes it a more costly material to purchase.

  The lobby is covered in gray-tone granite tile and California chestnut hardwood flooring. These floors will be plenty strong enough to withstand heavy foot traffic and the color will show less dirt and ware throughout the years.  The Granite is a nice natural product which is more expensive than other possible floor materials, but is a good choice for this space.  The California Chestnut wood chosen is known to be extremely hard and comes in a rich cinnamon brown color, which is perfect for the lobby of this building.  All of the building materials were selected for low-VOC emissions and recycled content. Even majority of the wood used in this project was FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. This building was constructed with great materials and products which aren’t just environmentally-friendly, but are also strong enough to handle wares and tares of a college campus.

REFERENCES:

http://www.greenmtwood.com/california-chestnut-flooring.html

http://flooring.about.com/od/Flooring-Pros-And-Cons/a/An-In-Depth-Look-At-Concrete-   Flooring.htm 

http://www.meisterloglumber.com/mll/rift-quarter-sawn-hardwood-lumber

http://www.mccarthy.com/ftp-ucsd-health-sciences-biomedical-research-facility