Irvine, California
The new stem cell center confirms UC Irvine’s (UCI) role in innovative, forward-thinking research and education. This project, won by design/build competition, is four-stories above grade plus a vivarium floor below grade and it houses UCI’s expanding research and education programs, and includes laboratories, clinical space for patient care, administration, and a state-of-the-art conference center with a 150-person meeting room. Because education demands flexibility, the building’s operable exterior window wall opens to form an expansive indoor/outdoor space for large events. The building’s composition and overall form articulate the spaces housed within. At the time of the center’s completion, it was honored as one of the most energy-efficient lab buildings in California — the project is LEED NC Platinum.
