Source: archeyes.com; photo by Thomas Nemeskeri

Salk, the Beauty of Science and Architecture

by SweisKloss
March 31, 2022

How often would we associate innovative, unique architecture and biomedical research? When one thinks about a science institution, a more utilitarian building might come to mind, but the Salk Institute for Biological Studies designed by famed architect Louis Kahn is a world-renowned center that conducts science within an artfully built environment in the picturesque La Jolla area. And if you ask SweisKloss Design Partner Abeer Sweis about Salk Institute, she will tell you it’s on her list of favorite architecture and design.

In 1957, Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, was gifted with 27 acres of land overlooking the ocean from the City of San Diego and a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help build a collaborative research center for scientists. Salk called upon Kahn to design the complex, telling Kahn to “create a facility worthy of a visit by Picasso.” Clearly, Salk was a visionary in more ways than one.

There are two main structures that mirror one another with an expansive travertine plaza in the center. Each structure is flanked by individual “study towers” that run along the plaza. Salk wanted the laboratories to be open and welcoming, so Kahn designed the interiors to have the least number of walled enclosures as practicable. He also wanted the spaces to be flooded with as much natural light as possible, including the two underground floors, which was accomplished by a series of light wells 40 feet long and 25 feet wide on both sides of each building.

SweisKloss Project Manager Taylor Horton has an appreciation for Kahn’s work and respects his “ability to achieve great designs with a limited material palette. He had an impressive way of articulating simple geometric shapes into his design; these shapes were directly placed on prime elevations for viewers to experience while helping to define the interior space.”

The main materials of the Salk Institute are pozzolanic concrete (a type of concrete that absorbs less water and has a warmer tone), glass, steel, and teak, which are all durable and low maintenance. Kahn did not allow for any finishing of the materials, the raw surfaces being more to his vision. Although there are currently initiatives to restore some of the concrete and teak, the materials have overall remained resilient during the 60 years the structures have been around.

The center’s plaza was originally supposed to be a garden, but after Kahn invited architect Luis Barragán to view the court, their collaboration resulted in designing a single linear water feature that draws one to the westside of the complex and its stunning view of the Pacific Ocean.

Abeer recalls walking down the plaza and experiencing the space through the interplay of light created by the buildings and the framing of the ocean beyond, and all of it feeling incredibly peaceful.

All images above courtesy of ArchEyes (archeyes.com) and Thomas Nemeskeri. The Salk Institute used to have an in-person guided architecture tour but have since moved it to a virtual one, which you can find by clicking here.