Bioengineering Building

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Standing adjacent to Davidson Library and representing the most recent additions to the UCSB campus, the bioengineering building is a sleek glass, steel, and concrete construction. Built in 2017, the building encapsulates and visually represents the sciences on campus with its modern design that conveys innovation. The building resembles others built around the same time that are relatively new and overall update the aesthetics of the campus to appear more modern and cutting edge. This building in particular presents an interesting visual contrast to the more traditional and classically inspired Physical Sciences North building.

Images

Tire, Bicycle tire, Wheel, Bicycle wheel

Property, Facade, Commercial building, Real estate

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

A building created for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers as a laboratory space, the building was designed by the architectural firm Moore Ruble Yudell. Some of its most notable features are the large open windows that reveal an emphasis on natural light and increased sustainability. The long horizontal steel lines of the building and its exposed concrete facade bring to mind the brutalist architecture of Kerr Hall, with less ornamentation and far more focus on making the form and lines of the building itself appealing.

A far cry from the self contained Physical Sciences North building, by looking at this building from different angles and positions, a passerby can find different perspectives and uncover hidden details. Different portions of the building push forward while others recede behind, creating an intriguing visual contrast within the building’s facade. Formal requirements for construction blend with modern aesthetics, as different areas are raised and protruding to capture as much natural light as possible. This geometric design results in intriguing harsh lines and shadows, look for it next time you walk past this building!

Sources

New BioEngineering Building Opens on Campus, May 10th 2018. Accessed December 17th 2020. https://chemengr.ucsb.edu/news/new-bioengineering-building-opens-campus.