Danish architecture firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has completed its first built project in Los Angeles County with the opening of the Robert Day Sciences Center at Claremont McKenna College. The innovative five-story building features a unique design consisting of "a series of parallel building volumes side by side" that surround a central glass-enclosed atrium.
Commissioned in 2020, the Robert Day Sciences Center is strategically located on the eastern side of the Claremont McKenna College Roberts campus in Claremont. While technically outside Los Angeles city limits, the project falls within Los Angeles County, leading BIG to designate it as their "first built project in Los Angeles." The building serves as the inaugural structure in a comprehensive BIG-designed master plan for the campus, housing state-of-the-art spaces, laboratories, and classrooms dedicated to science education.
The building's distinctive architecture comprises three pairs of stacked rectangular volumes wrapped in steel trusses and reinforced concrete exterior cladding. Each pair of volumes is rotated 45 degrees from the level below, creating a dynamic visual effect while generating interstitial spaces that form a multi-story, glass-enclosed atrium at the building's center. This central space functions as a primary social hub for students, faculty, and staff.
"We imagined the Sciences Center as a series of parallel building volumes side by side with a public space in between that are rotated in all the same directions as the [campus] mall," explained BIG founder Bjarke Ingels. "Even though each of the individual building volumes are rational, flexible, and capable of being computer labs or wet labs, the open atrium in between becomes a Piranesian social space where you can see fellow students, faculty, colleagues, and professors from every level."
The building offers multiple entry points for visitors and students, with three main access points situated underneath the volumes' significant overhangs. These include a subterranean entrance at the southwest corner leading to the ground level, and two opposing entrances on level one. A grand "social" staircase anchors the ground floor and extends upward through the building's center, facilitating vertical circulation and encouraging interaction between floors.
Educational facilities are thoughtfully distributed throughout each rectangular volume, including seminar rooms, classrooms, faculty offices, and specialized laboratories. Additional staircases and elevators are positioned at either end of the volumes and within wedge-shaped terraces that stretch between them, providing panoramic views of the central atrium. The building's interior showcases Douglas fir panel cladding, while a red and gold color palette—reflecting the school's official colors—has been integrated throughout the flooring, upholstery, and furniture selections.
Sustainability and outdoor learning were key considerations in the design, with the building incorporating eight outdoor terraces planted with native vegetation. These spaces are intended to serve as additional social areas and "outdoor classrooms," extending the educational environment beyond traditional indoor boundaries and connecting students with the natural landscape.
Claremont McKenna College President Hiram E. Chodosh praised the building's design for its ability to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and social interaction. "Bjarke's rotating stacks create opportunities to learn at the intersections," said Chodosh. "The wood fuels our social warmth. The glass cuts through the barriers. This is a carved jewel for Claremont McKenna College. A gem for the ages."
The project represents a significant milestone for BIG's West Coast expansion, following the firm's establishment of a Los Angeles office in 2024, housed in a renovated 1920s building. The completion of the Robert Day Sciences Center coincides with the city's recent approval of a multi-tower development by BIG in the Arts District, signaling the firm's growing presence in the Los Angeles architectural landscape. Photography of the completed project was captured by Laurian Ghinitolu, showcasing the building's innovative design and integration with the campus environment.
