Saiful Bouquet is the Structural Engineer for the new 80,000 sf 4-story Caltech Resnick Sustainability Resource Center. Slated to be the greenest building on campus, the Resnick will serve as the hub for energy and sustainability research on campus and include an ecology and biosphere engineering facility, a solar science and catalysis center, a remote sensing center, and a translational facility. It also features lecture and interactive learning spaces and new state-of-the-art undergraduate teaching labs.
The building is essentially a concrete structure designed for the restrictive vibration criterion needed for the research, but the public atrium and circulation area on the north and west is constructed with cross-laminated timber for visual and textural warmth, as well as for sustainability. At the ground floor, an exterior passageway cuts through the building which is an extension of the San Pasqual walk, a heavily travelled campus pedestrian route.
The concrete structure comprises of flat plate supported on concrete columns while seismic resistance is provided by concrete shear walls placed strategically to maximize the space planning opportunity.
Awards
2024 AIA Los Angeles Board of Directors Awards | Building Team of the Year
2022 Los Angeles Business Council | Under Construction Winner
2021 AIA NEXTLA Honor Award | Educational
