The Robert Day Sciences Center, a groundbreaking 135,000-square-foot facility designed by renowned architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), has officially opened at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California. This state-of-the-art building represents the first completed project under the school's ambitious Roberts Campus master plan and serves as a major gateway to the college while extending the campus's north mall toward Ninth Street and Claremont Boulevard.
Commissioned in 2020, the new sciences center is specifically designed to support a multidisciplinary approach to science and technology education. The facility functions as a comprehensive platform for computational gene research, brain studies, and climate research, bringing together computer science, data science, and life sciences under one innovative roof. Students and faculty now have access to cutting-edge laboratories and collaborative spaces that foster interdisciplinary learning and research.
Lead architect Bjarke Ingels describes the building's unique design concept as "a series of parallel building volumes side by side with a public space in between that are rotated in all the same directions as the mall." The structure features stacked volumes, with each level rotated 45 degrees from the one below, creating a dramatic central atrium at the core of the building. "Even though each of the individual building volumes are rational, flexible, and capable of being computer labs or wet labs, the open atrium in between becomes a Piranesian social space," explains the Danish architect. "It's a crucible where all of the different kinds of knowledge and all of the different kinds of students and teachers come together in one complex, three-dimensional learning environment."
The building's exterior showcases a sophisticated facade of board-formed glass fiber reinforced concrete, which provides a wood-like texture while maintaining the durability essential for modern laboratory operations. Inside, triangular steel trusses clad in Douglas fir continue the structural rhythm, bringing tactile warmth throughout the atrium and into individual classrooms. The design successfully balances aesthetic appeal with functional requirements for scientific research and education.
Sustainability plays a crucial role in the building's design, with 11,000 square feet of solar panels covering the roof. These panels generate approximately 342 megawatt hours of electricity annually, contributing significantly to the building's LEED Gold sustainability certification. This commitment to environmental responsibility aligns with the college's broader goals for sustainable campus development.
The central atrium functions as a vertical commons, featuring a full-height space that provides direct views into classrooms and laboratories. A broad social staircase connects the first two levels, while a café is strategically tucked below the main floors. Adding to the building's visual impact, artist Damien Ortega's "Magnetic Field," an intricate sculpture representing Earth's magnetosphere, hangs thirty feet above the ground floor. This impressive installation consists of eighteen metal rings and nearly 1,500 glass spheres, creating a stunning focal point for the space.
Ground-level amenities include the McElwee Forum and specialized imaging suites, providing essential gathering and research spaces for the campus community. Upper floors house various classrooms, research areas, both wet and dry laboratories, the specialized Quantum Library, and a makers space equipped with modern fabrication tools. Perimeter classrooms are strategically positioned to capture spectacular mountain views while remaining distinct from the central social core, ensuring students can focus on their studies while maintaining connection to the broader learning environment.
One of the building's most distinctive features is its eight landscaped rooftop terraces, which extend the building's educational program into outdoor spaces. These terraces offer panoramic views of Mount Baldy, the surrounding campus, and the adjacent sports bowl, creating inspiring environments for both formal outdoor classrooms and informal student gatherings. The terraces reinforce the building's role as an active center for integrated learning and research at Claremont McKenna College.
College President Hiram E. Chodosh emphasized the building's transformative impact on academic culture, stating: "This gorgeous architecture amplifies and elevates a revolutionary vision for higher learning at a critical moment in the well-being of our species, our brains, our planet. Bjarke's rotating stacks create opportunities to learn at the intersections. The wood fuels our social warmth. The glass cuts through the barriers." The facility represents a significant investment in the future of interdisciplinary science education and research at the prestigious liberal arts institution.
