Caltech Opens Resnick Sustainability Center

Caltech opened the $148 million Resnick Sustainability Center in October of 2024 in Pasadena, Calif. Featuring transdisciplinary laboratories with specialized equipment, the 79,727-sf facility enables investigators and innovators from across the Caltech community to engage in collaborative discovery. The four-story structure currently houses four research hubs:

• The Solar Science and Catalysis Center includes a solar roof where photovoltaic devices can be evaluated under real-world conditions. 
• The Remote Sensing Center allows faculty and students to develop and guide satellites of different sizes for applications including environmental monitoring and space exploration.
• The Ecology and Biosphere Engineering Facility enables the cultivation, analysis, and manipulation of how diverse life-forms interact with their environments. 
• The Translational Science and Engineering Facility aims to accelerate the testing and scale-up of early-stage technologies. A high-bay space supports larger demonstration projects.

The second floor advances Caltech's educational mission by providing undergraduate chemistry labs, as well as teaching labs and instructional settings for courses related to sustainability. Two 48-person active learning classrooms are linked by a retractable wall that can be pushed back to create a larger contiguous space. A soaring, timber-framed atrium offers a variety of range venues for formal and informal interaction.

On track for LEED Platinum certification, the Resnick Sustainability Center has a high-performance curtainwall that leverages low-E glazing and shading fins to transmit natural light all the way to the basement level. Extensive rooftop photovoltaic arrays generate power for research and operations, complemented by advanced MEP infrastructure. The Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign was the architect for the project, which integrates construction materials with low embodied carbon, including a striking mass timber frame. Hensel Phelps broke ground on the facility in May of 2022 and Saiful Bouquet served as structural engineer.