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Structural and Materials Engineering Building

Published 4/9/2013
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The 183,000-sf Structural and Materials Engineering Building at UCSD houses several engineering departments, including Structural Engineering and NanoEngineering, as well as the Department of Visual Arts. Inspired by Bauhaus principles, the building's design fosters interaction between arts and engineering disciplines through gathering spaces, communal circulation, and shared computer and research laboratories. Offices are grouped around a variety of open meeting spaces to enhance collaboration while maintaining privacy.

UCSD’s Structural Engineering and NanoEngineering departments gain research laboratories for nanotube technologies and new composite structure materials for the aerospace, construction, and computer and electrical equipment industries. The facility also includes space for high-bay testing equipment, an autoclave area, long-term testing suites for material processing, digital imaging computer rooms, large workshop spaces for student projects, a library, classrooms, and offices for faculty and staff. The Visual Arts Department is accommodated with shared computer labs, video editing suites, presentation and gallery spaces, an auditorium, a fabrication workshop, and studios for faculty and graduate students.

Outdoor amphitheater-style seating encourages casual interaction and can be transformed into an indoor/outdoor performance space by opening the walls up to the adjacent auditorium. A pedestrian bridge that connects the building to the main campus thoroughfares helps make this building a locus of campus activity.

Organization Project Role
Miller Hull Partnership
Architect
Safdie Rabines Architects
Architect
M. A. Mortenson Construction
Builder
RBF Consulting
Consultant - Civil Engineer
Churchill Engineering
Consultant - Code
Syska Hennessy Group
Consultant - Communications
Campbell-Anderson & Assoc.
Consultant - Cost Estimating
Syska Hennessy Group
Consultant - Electrical Engineer
Lerch Bates
Consultant - Elevator
Protection Design & Consulting
Consultant - Fire Protection
Research Facilities Design (RFD)
Consultant - Laboratory Planner
Office of James Burnett
Consultant - Landscape Architect
IBE Consulting Engineers
Consultant - Mechanical Engineer
IBE Consulting Engineers
Consultant - Plumbing Engineer
Englekirk
Consultant - Structural Engineer
Haakon Industries
Supplier - Air Handlers
Johnson Controls Inc.
Supplier - Building Automation Controls
La Mesa Carpet
Supplier - Carpet
Campbell Rhea
Supplier - Casework
Mott Manufacturing
Supplier - Fume Hoods