California Institute of Technology, Gates-Thomas Laboratory

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

GATES THOMAS LABORATORY [

PASADENA, CA

]

PROJECT

Gates Thomas Laboratory

LOCATION

Pasadena, CA

The Charles C. Gates and Franklin Thomas Laboratory on the campus of California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, houses the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering. The renovation ushers in modernization while honoring the lab’s storied past and the people who helped advance engineering at Caltech. The original structure was completed at the close of World War II, when human spaceflight was still years in the future and the idea of nanotechnology had not even been conceived.

The updated Gates-Thomas Laboratory provides new laboratories and light-filled spaces where scholars, faculty and students can collaborate and engage in experimental and computational work undreamed of when the building opened its doors.

The 54,300 SF facility was challenged with substandard infrastructure unable to support the robust research taking place. The closed-in institutional look and feel of the building failed to convey the prestige of the Engineering Department, and provided few opportunities for interaction. The building faces Olive Walk, a lovely tree-lined promenade, to the South and a landscaped courtyard to the North. Our approach sought to connect the courtyard “garden” to Gates-Thomas Laboratory, to open the building up both physically and symbolically.

AC Martin’s solution introduced a two-story entry anchored by a glass-enclosed stair connecting the upper floors. The stair is deliberately located at the building’s midpoint to draw inhabitants up and through the building in a visible and dynamic fashion. A wall graphic representing the “Poincare Section of a Duffing Oscillator” lines the stair.

The floor at the lobby features an etching illustrating the year and latitude of major earthquakes from 1949 to 2011. The glass-enclosed 88-seat auditorium extends beyond the original footprint. Transparent as possible while maintaining functionality, the space allows the community to observe the important science being discussed and taught. The auditorium is planned to host guest lecturers as well as regularly scheduled classes. The image on the exterior window of the new auditorium displays cavitating vortices in the separated wake of a lifting flat plate and recognizes the seminal work on hydrodynamics performed in Thomas Laboratory. A translucent fabric divider curtain with images of the current faculty members’ bookshelves can be drawn to encourage “reluctant” students to the front of the room.

Strategically located at the second floor landing, the lounge is the heart of the department.

The gathering space encourages collaboration and conversation beyond the research lab and classrooms. It is open and spacious, with views to both Olive Walk and the garden to the north. The new seminar room, with direct access to the roof terrace, can serve as an extension of the lounge during events. The faculty office ‘neighborhoods’ are connected by a generous corridor with clerestory windows and integrated collaboration tables.

Throughout the project, the architect sought opportunities to expose and retain as much of the existing concrete frame structure as possible. Corridor ceilings are exposed due to constrained floor-to-floor heights, but also a desire to reveal the “workings” of the building systems.

N

CAMPUS CONTEXT The building faces Olive Walk, a lovely tree-lined promenade, to the South and a landscaped courtyard to the North. Our approach sought to connect the courtyard “garden” to Gates-Thomas Laboratory, to open the building up both physically and symbolically.

Building Section

Subbasement Floor Plan

Basement Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

N Site Plan

Aerial Exterior View

ENTRYWAY / LOBBY The design introduced a generous two-story entry that connects the historic south-facing entry through the building to what was a neglected north-facing courtyard. A new glassy connecting stair at the buildings midpoint draws inhabitants into and up through the building.

Lobby Space

Entryway / Lobby

Donor Recognition “Nook”

Second Floor Conference Room/Classroom

AUDITORIUM The glass-enclosed 88-seat auditorium extends beyond the original footprint.

Transparent as possible while maintaining functionality, the space allows the community to observe the important science being discussed and taught. The auditorium is planned to host guest lecturers as well as regularly scheduled classes. A translucent fabric divider curtain with images of the current faculty members’ bookshelves can be drawn to encourage “reluctant” students to the front of the room.

Auditorium

Second Floor Landing

Collaboration Lounge

Collaboration Lounge

Study Room

Third Floor Hallway Rendering

Third Floor Hallway Finished Photography

Dean’s Office

SUSTAINABILITY Being a pilot project for LEED v4, the sustainability goals for the Gates-Thomas Lab were set high.

•

Water - The project reduced overall water usage by 35% above baseline, thereby saving 46,808 gal/year.

•

Energy - The project is designed to preform 53.6% better than T24 with a designed EUI of 98 kBtu/sf. The labs have lighting controls for 100% of all individually occupied workstations and multioccupant spaces to promote worker productivity, comfort, and well-being.

•

Green Building Materials - The project uses low emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring systems, and composite wood products to reduce the exposure of building occupants to high VOC (volatile organic compounds) content.

Professor’s Office

Director’s Office Suite

Basement Laboratory

Graduate Student Collaboration Space

Rooftop Terrace

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

California Institute of Technology GATES THOMAS Thomas Laboratory LABORATORY Client Size Completion Location Key Points

California Institute of Technology 54,300 SF 2015 Pasadena, CA •

The building houses the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering and Division offices of Engineering & Applied Science.

•

The updated Gates-Thomas Laboratory provides new laboratories and light-filled spaces where scholars, faculty and students can collaborate and engage in experimental and computational work

•

The 54,300 SF facility includes: -

88-seat auditorium Laboratories Classrooms Offices

•

The large transparent auditorium is the focal point, and connects both visibly and physically to the revitalized north courtyard.

•

The addition introduced a two-story entryway anchored by a glass-enclosed stair connecting the upper floors.

•

The floor at the lobby features an etching illustrating the year and latitude of major earthquakes from 1949 to 2011.

•

The open and spacious lounge is located on the second floor landing and encourages collaboration and conversation beyond the research lab and classrooms.

•

The new seminar room, with direct access to the roof terrace, can serve as an extension of the lounge during events.

•

The faculty office ‘neighborhoods’ are connected by a generous corridor with clerestory windows and integrated collaboration tables.

CONTACT

Maryal Peter Director of Marketing info@acmartin.com