SAN DIEGO – The University of California Regents have approved plans for a new Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building on the UC San Diego campus. Flad Architects will design the 200,000-square-foot facility, the first building on campus that bridges health science research with biological science research and teaching.

The multiuse facility advances the university’s goal of fostering unprecedented inter-unit research partnerships. The design creates scientific neighborhoods composed of cross-organizational collaborative faculty, supporting interdisciplinary interactions and utilizing advanced technologies to drive discovery in academia and industry.

The building includes over 120,000 square feet of research laboratories designed to maximize flexibility and functionality to respond to changes in programs and research. The teaching laboratories are designed to integrate experimentation, instrumentation, and computational analysis; supporting interdisciplinary education at the critical interface of biology, machine learning, and advanced instrumentation. In addition, the building program includes specialized shared research facilities, collaborative meeting areas, conference rooms, offices, and public spaces.

The modern exterior design further advances the unique architecture found on the UC San Diego campus. Utilizing a UCSD-specific mix of type 1L concrete along with a glass façade featuring sculpted, perforated fins that act as a shading device and light shelf, the upper floors of the new six-level building are offset, creating the appearance of rotated stacks. It will showcase science on display with biological science classrooms and shared meeting rooms on the street level.

The project aims to exceed the university’s sustainability goals and is designed to meet, at minimum, LEED Gold certification. Construction is anticipated to begin this fall and conclude in 2027.