| Where ocean meets land, northern ecoregions meet southern, warm currents meet cold, the elbow of California is rich in natural splendor. After years of contention, the Dangermond Preserve was established in December 2017 to protect and preserve 8 miles, of undeveloped California coastline, one of the longest uncompromised stretches of the coast. The preserve incorporates 24,000 acres of natural topography ranging from sea level to 1,900ft, encompassing 5 diverse ecosystems, and providing a home to 14 endangered species. Jack and Laura Dangermond recognized that creating this preserve was a crucial step in protecting California’s natural spaces. To date, their donation was the largest The Nature Conservation has ever received.
How can we step lightly on the land while creating a space for people to gather, conduct research, and to observe for pleasure? Due to its pristine condition, the Preserve acts as a living laboratory to study the effects of climate change on an untouched landscape while the project confronts the nature of development in untouched terrain. At this place of transition lies opportunity for scientific research and environmental adoration.
The Dangermond Preserve is a place where natural splendor and human interests meet for both, public appreciation and scientific research. This dramatic setting affords expansive vistas and sheltering valleys. A research and interpretive center on this site should sit sensitively on the land while also leveraging the capacity of architecture to provoke awe and wonder for this very special place.
At the higher end of the parking lot, a vista point marks the peak of the project which then descends into the project program organized into two bars that form a v-shaped courtyard. The courtyard steps down onto the slope opening views to the Channel Islands and forming terraced gathering spaces. Several circulation paths slide along the sides of the two bars, each serving different constituencies, offering unique arrival experiences. The formal notions of the project are taken from the context as in the topographic relationship between peak, ridge and valley, to establish a conceptual fit with the site.
The two bars separate the project program into Research and Public Visitation wings. The Research wing runs parallel to the existing tree line and contains two lab spaces, one wet, one dry, with locker rooms and supporting offices that serve the formal and informal meeting needs of principal investigators and research teams.
The Visitor’s Center bar is placed on the ridge side of the project, and splits levels in response to the natural slope. At the high side, an information center opposes a large covered outdoor space introducing the visitor hall. Beyond, lies offices and an observation tower connecting the split levels. As the topography descends, a conference room opens under a floating classroom and observation deck.
Situated within the larger topographical context, the two program bars claim the transitional space between an exposed plateau and a protected valley. It is here, the visiting public meet the principal investigators to share uncompromised perspectives.
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