Building for the Future: Capital Projects Update

Caltech's campus is home to buildings ranging from the recently constructed to those as old as the Institute itself. As part of the "There's only one. Caltech" campaign, the Institute has identified 10 major capital projects-a combination of new construction and renovation of existing structures and facilities-as being crucial to the continued growth and success of its mission. The first of these projects to get underway, the restoration of Dabney Hall, was completed in September 2004. Several other projects are now in the pipeline; their status is highlighted below.

Shortly after the Institute's 2005 commencement, construction crews began renovation and restoration of Caltech's south undergraduate houses. In addition to modernizing and revitalizing the treasured South Houses complex-thereby enhancing the Caltech experience for undergraduate students-the architects, campus administrators, and house residents are working together to give special attention to preserving historically significant elements of the buildings. Leadership commitments and gifts of all sizes have come in from many former South House residents-and even a few from those who lived in the North Houses-but there are still plenty of naming opportunities left for Blacker, Dabney, Fleming, Ricketts, as well as the entire South House complex. Scheduled completion of the South Houses project is fall 2006. In the meantime, residents are living in temporary modular units organized to maintain the physical structure of the house system and constructed in the northeast area of campus.

Caltech encourages students to broaden and enrich their lives with music, art, and other cultural pursuits at every opportunity. However, due to the limitations of social and creative spaces available at the Institute, students must typically go off campus for cultural fulfillment and social life. Recognizing the importance of building community along with the wonderful abilities and talents of Caltech's students, the Institute is vigorously pursuing the dream of creating a campus center to provide students with an enriching and stimulating collegiate environment.

Thanks to a generous lead gift from Caltech Trustee Ben Rosen (BS '54), more than half the funds necessary have been raised for the proposed $35 million campus center. When it is completed, the Rosen Campus Center will provide an integrated focus for campus life by providing a social and cultural hub for the Caltech community. The Institute is actively pursuing additional funding before moving on to the next phase of project development.

In April, Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics' architect Thom Mayne and his firm, mOrphosis®, completed the programming phase of the architectural design process. This included meetings among the architects, their consultants, and representatives from the various research groups to discuss the goals and aspirations for the project. The outcome of those discussions resulted in plans calling for the Cahill Center to contain space for a lecture hall, classrooms, laboratory and remote observing spaces, a library, conference rooms, and office space.

Architects are now in the process of developing the schematic designs. At the same time, Caltech has begun to review contractors. The goal is to select a firm with extensive experience with complex science buildings. Once complete, the Cahill Center will ease a severe space shortage in Caltech's Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy by bringing investigators together from across campus to facilitate collaborations that are the Institute's hallmark.

Just as the Cahill Center will unite the astronomy and astrophysics programs under one roof, the Warren and Katherine Schlinger Laboratory for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering will stand as the centerpiece of Caltech's Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering by integrating the two fields. As with all of the campaign's capital projects, plans for the new chemical sciences laboratory-with lead funding provided by a pledge from Warren (BS '44, MS '46, PhD '49) and Katie Schlinger-will proceed with an eye to the future.

The Institute retained the services of GPR Planners Collaborative, Inc., to collaborate with the faculty planning committee chaired by chemistry professor Robert Grubbs and composed of both chemistry and chemical engineering faculty. Based in Irvine, California, GPR has programmed and designed hundreds of institutional research facilities at the top universities in the country. GPR's consultants and the committee worked through the spring and summer to complete the process of assessing the needs of the new building. Their approach was to use a "prototype" laboratory design that addresses the needs of current users, as well as incorporating standards that allow space to be adapted over the life of the building.

Designing the facility for maximum flexibility will foster interaction among researchers and ensure that the chemical sciences at Caltech will define the state of the art for many years to come. However, Caltech is seeking additional supporters to push the project forward. Most recently, the Institute received a $5 million contribution to support construction of the new building from Wilton W. Webster (BS '49), bringing the total funds raised for the project to $24.6 million toward a $35 million goal. Webster is senior science advisor at Biosense Webster, a cardiovascular catheter company that he founded in 1969. He is also a 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.

The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology's design will incorporate internal flexibility to accommodate evolving research programs, education, and outreach. Under the leadership of computer science professor Peter Schröder, the architectural selection committee for the facility made a conscious decision to consider firms with reputations for innovative and compelling design work.

After completing the interview and review process, the committee selected Pritzker Prize-winner Rem Koolhaas's Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) as project architects. OMA formed a joint venture with Los Angeles-based Gruen Associates in order to provide the depth of resources required for this project. With the committed participation of Koolhaas, Joshua Ramus-OMA partner and head of its New York office-will be the Annenberg Center's principal in charge, with Gruen Associates providing executive architectural services. According to Schröder, "OMA's approach to the design of a building is as exacting and thorough as [Caltech's] approach to science and engineering. We have a real meeting of the minds." Gruen Associates counts numerous well-know buildings in its portfolio, while Ramus and Koolhaas have worked together on some of OMA's most prestigious projects.

"The combined intellect of Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Ramus will help us realize the full potential of the physical vision for IST," said Caltech president David Baltimore. The Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology will serve as the interdisciplinary home for Caltech's IST initiative.