Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment

orchid

Scripps Institution of Oceanography has built a great conference center on the bluff above the beach. It sits beautifully on the site providing functionality while gracefully fitting into the environment with a greater than 180º view of the coastline. The main building has an over 300 seat auditorium with excellent projection and sound quality; four breakout meeting rooms of ascending size are staggered to the south, each with an entry from the east patio garden and a patior garden to the west; the graduate student lounge to the south is slightly separated by facing toward La Jolla to provide them privacy. All rooms open to the west above the beach, but the auditorium is especially spectacular since the interior and exterior doors can open completely providing an unobstructed view to the west. The architects thought through all of the building's details to try and make them lovely while providing the functions that Scripps wanted. There is nothing institutional about this building and it is a wonderful addition to the campus. Please excuse the quality of the pictures.

Project Information
Project Address: 
8610 Kennel Way (was Discovery Way)
Project Owner/ Developer: 
UCSD/Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Owner Contact Name/ Email: 
Doug Bennett, dbennett@ucsd.edu
Project Architect/ Designer: 
Safdie Rabines Architects
Image
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Auditorium Interior.jpg
Dixson Family Walkway.jpg
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Scripps Seaside Forum entryway.jpg
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Scripps Seaside Forum view to La Jolla.jpg

Comments:

Disagree with Orchid rating

Unlike maxinewarwick, I believe this wasn't so much "compact space" as much as a wide swath of now-uncommon oceanfront space. Previously, filled with quite functional, albeit not the prettiest, SIO buildings including laboratories (requiring proximity to he coast), offices and classrooms; now the space is yet another exercise in "airy and light" architecture that is quite wasteful of space. Though it must be nice for all the well-to-do non-university, non-educational event attendees; real scientific innovations used to happen here in another example of our society favoring service-related niceties over real contributions to the world. UC San Diego is an impossibly large campus and needs to champion projects that are both beautiful and functional, including building up and design efficiency that goes beyond LEED environmental efficiency, to creating usable spaces for researchers and students.

Rbt Paine Scripps Forum

This site is so tranquil. the architecture is just amazing. the materials are fitting for the setting. It seems this is the most popular building in La Jolla. It seems every weekend there is a function with hundreds of happy people socializing there. This is what good architecture is all about. the site is so striking yet serene and is totally in harmony with the ocean.

Ocean Lover

The best place in San Diego to have an event, especially for out-of-towners that don't have the luxury of living next to our beautiful ocean.

LEED Certified

In addition to being beautiful, the Robert Paine Scripps Forum is the first building on the UC San Diego campus to be LEED certified.

Suprised

Suprised that there are not more comments here. I have been to this place for events and it really captures the coastal environment. There is also a nice scale here here in that it does not feel like a commercial building but more human scale. Also the use of materials are very appropriate. In many cases you feel like you are in someone beach house.

The Robert Paine Scripps

The Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society, and the Environment is a conference center/meeting complex consisting of an auditorium, restaurant, two plazas, a garden, four meeting rooms, and a student center. It was designed by Safdie-Rabines and opened earlier this year. It is both beautiful and practical. It has state-of-the-art audiovisual capabilities (3D High Definition Christie projector and Dolby sound). It has a spectacular location and the design blends beautifully into the surroundings. The architects did a masterful job of fitting the buildings into a rather compact space. Those who have been to meetings and events there rave about it.

Better pictures!

This is such an extraordinary project! The photos don't do it justice. You really have to see it, and better photos sure would help.