Los Angeles Harbor College Science Complex Earns Architecture Award
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Harbor College Science Complex recently received a Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) AIA-CAE Excellence in Architecture Honor Award in the Architecture for a New Building category. The more than 73,000-square-foot, LEED Platinum science facility opened in August 2013 and houses the college’s Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Family & Consumer Studies programs.
The Science Complex was designed by the Los Angeles office HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA) and built by Pinner Construction of Anaheim, Calif. The project team also included Saiful/Bouquet of Pasadena, Calif., JMC2 of San Pedro, Calif., Fundament & Associates of Irvine, Calif., FBA Engineering of Costa Mesa, Calif., and Hunt Design, also of Pasadena.
The L-shaped building includes a three-story wing that houses state-of-the-art laboratories and a two-story wing that is home to interactive classrooms, offices and student lounges. Connections to the exterior environment are provided via an outdoor classroom, open-air corridors and a science courtyard.
A various-patterned façade reflects contextual and natural biological patterns to create a dynamic campus gateway from adjacent parking, according to a statement by HGA. For instance, plaster and brick were added to the exterior to complement existing campus building materials. Fenestration and corrugated-metal panels in different tones are a design nod to the nearby Port of Los Angeles, and suggest DNA sequencing patterns as rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels cast shadows across the façade and courtyard, according to the firm.
As evidenced by the building’s LEED Platinum status, many sustainable strategies were also integrated into the facility, including photovoltaic panels connected to the campus PV system, occupancy-sensor lighting, natural ventilation and daylight, energy-efficient windows, integrated building systems that respond to weather and daylight conditions, energy-recovery system that converts exhaust air into energy and classroom monitors that track energy production/usage from the PVs.
“The SCUP Honor Award recognizes the role architecture plays in shaping the student experience and improving learning outcomes,” said Satoshi Teshima, AIA, LEED AP, senior project designer with HGA. “By making science more accessible throughout the architecture, the Science Complex quite literally weaves the campus and building fabric into each other. The building becomes a backdrop and stage for campus activity and science learning as open gathering spaces and exterior corridors bring students and faculty to the forefront. It has been a great privilege to work with L.A. Harbor College on this project and we are thrilled to win the Honor Award.”