Irvine, California
DES designed a building that will attract ophthalmologists from all over the world with state-of-the-art facilities, as well as serve the needs of the campus community with classroom, workroom, and lab space. The design concept for the new Gavin Herbert Eye Institute was to provide readily available ophthalmological services to students and the public in a notable building on the campus, delivering cutting-edge eye research in a clinical setting. The Gavin Herbert Eye Institute is a progressive building for the School of Medicine’s Ophthalmology department, with ambulatory surgery space, ophthalmology clinics, and ophthalmology retail spaces. DES won the project in a design/build competition by designing the building from the inside out and letting the program truly drive the final product.