Robert Day Sciences Center opens at Claremont McKenna College

The new Robert Day Sciences Center designed by Tenderstream member Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has opened at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA. The design for the building maximises multidisciplinary integration and interaction, with each level of the 135,000 sq ft building oriented in a different direction, channelling the flow of people and ideas between the labs, classrooms, and the surrounding campus. 

The centre is BIG’s first built project in Los Angeles, and the first completed building in the BIG-designed masterplan for the college campus. With views of Mount Baldy, the centre creates a new gateway to the school and facilitates strong connections to other academic departments. The facade incorporates board-formed panels of glass fibre reinforced concrete, which create a wood-like texture while providing the durability and fire resistance required for a modern laboratory. 

Inside, a dramatic 15 ft hovering canopy welcomes students, professors, staff, and visitors, drawing them into a sky-lit multilevel atrium that provides direct views into classrooms and research spaces. Each level bridges over the one below, supported by triangular steel trusses clad in Douglas fir. Suspended 30 ft in the air, Magnetic Field by Damien Ortega - an intricate sculpture of Earth’s magnetosphere - floats in orbit, composed of 18 metal rings and 1,476 vibrant glass spheres. The BIG-designed interiors are designed to accommodate future scientific innovation, incorporating elements such as reconfigurable classrooms and modular seating. Eight outdoor and landscaped rooftop terraces are designed to be used as outdoor classrooms, study areas, or places to meet. 

Leon Rost, partner at BIG, stated: “Like a well-placed queen on the chessboard, the Robert Day Sciences Building unlocks new moves for the campus - extending the north mall, initiating a diagonal mall, and opening access to the east sports campus. Growing in parallel with our Los Angeles office, it has become a shared milestone - an architectural cornerstone for the campus and a testament to our team’s evolution as California architects.” 

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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