Scripps Seaside Forum
- Project Address: 8610 Kennel Way (was Discovery Way)
- Project Owner/ Developer: UCSD/Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Owner Contact Name/ Email: Doug Bennett, dbennett@ucsd.edu
- Project Architect/ Designer: Safdie Rabines Architects
Scripps Institution of Oceanography has built a great conference center on the bluff above the beach. It sits beautifully on the site providing functionality while gracefully fitting into the environment with a greater than 180º view of the coastline. The main building has an over 300 seat auditorium with excellent projection and sound quality; four breakout meeting rooms of ascending size are staggered to the south, each with an entry from the east patio garden and a patior garden to the west; the graduate student lounge to the south is slightly separated by facing toward La Jolla to provide them privacy. All rooms open to the west above the beach, but the auditorium is especially spectacular since the interior and exterior doors can open completely providing an unobstructed view to the west. The architects thought through all of the building's details to try and make them lovely while providing the functions that Scripps wanted. There is nothing institutional about this building and it is a wonderful addition to the campus.
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Project Awarded
Located south of the pier at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment (a.k.a. Scripps Seaside Forum) is a state of the art teaching and conference center, and a stunning yet unimposing and relaxed retreat where the brightest minds can gather to tackle our planet’s greatest scientific challenges. Despite multiple rounds of “value‐engineering” and nearly ten years in planning and construction, this privately funded and LEED certified project is an admirable addition to the Scripps campus.