Caltech has held the groundbreaking ceremony for the HOK-designed Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement in Pasadena, California. Upon its projected completion in 2025, the center is set to become “one of the world’s most advanced hubs for studying quantum science and technology.”

The four-story building will house research offices, meeting rooms, and dedicated collaboration areas, with laboratories strategically located at the basement level to minimize disturbances from noise and vibrations. Externally, a transparent facade on the south and west sides is designed to “suggest a prism or the bending of spacetime, an allusion to research that will take place in the building.”

In an effort to foster community and collaboration, parts of the ground floor are recessed to provide room for greenery and open spaces for outdoor gatherings. The design further encourages interaction with glass panel doors and a breezeway linked to a neighboring seminar room, enabling fluid indoor-outdoor movement.

The center's construction is financially backed by a combination of sources, including Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg, an anonymous benefactor, and a grant from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation. The scheme is also targeting LEED Gold certification for sustainable design.

News of the project comes weeks after HOK and PAU revealed a rival ‘P3’ Penn Station renewal proposal in New York City, and months after HOK was enlisted by the Jacksonville Jaguars to reimagine their stadium. In June, meanwhile, the firm announced the winners of its 2023 Diversity x Design Scholarship.