| The $2.5 million Caltech Parker Laboratory project involved the renovation of an existing entomology lab and faculty/student office space. Professor Parker was moving into this vacant 2,500SF lab space on an occupied floor with other active laboratories and offices, and his goal was visual connectivity. Our team created a collaborative environment that celebrates science and puts it on display.
The renovated hallways are lined with floor-to-ceiling glass, allowing faculty and students to
see what’s going on within the labs and creating a light-filled workspace for the scientists. Largescale graphics of the insects used in Professor Parker’s work are featured on the walls and glass throughout the space.
During this renovation, it was key to understand what spaces were urgent for the Professor, and
what could be phased for a later delivery. Also critical, when working in a lab building, is to first
understand the potential impacts to its neighbors. We checked with the surrounding labs—including those on the same floor, as well as those above and below—to ensure they would not have experiments running with strict sound and vibration requirements.
The program for this project included specialized wet and dry research space, insect behavior and
propagation, and specialty instrumentation for two-photon microscopy and mass spectrometry. |
