In the building’s core, key spaces include a biosphere engineering facility, a solar science and catalysis center, a remote sensing center, a translational science facility, teaching labs and lecture and interactive learning spaces. Collectively, these design moves ensure the Sustainability Center is transparent in nature and puts “science on display,” helping spark the imagination of passerby. Within its walls, the Resnick Sustainability Institute will focus efforts around four interconnected initiatives, including: sunlight to everything, climate science, water resources and ecology and biosphere.

This work will take place across dynamic spaces, including: • A Solar Science and Catalysis Center dedicated to directing the energy found in sunlight to produce the molecules that make up the physical world. • The Remote Sensing Center where researchers will focus on new remote-sensing technologies that can be deployed on small satellites or used to collect measurements on Earth. • In the Ecology and Biosphere Engineering Facility, work will focus on developing new ways to isolate, cultivate and otherwise study a diversity of microorganisms at different scales. • A Translational Science and Engineering Facility is a unique space where Caltech scientists, engineers and collaborators can develop early-stage sustainability tech and move them toward proof-of-concept demonstrations. “In certain ways, Caltech is conducting an experiment that really hasn’t been done in sustainability,” said Jonas Peters, director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute when talking about the project. “We (have built) an institute that really tries to pull essentially, all of the campus toward problems in sustainability. We need all hands-on deck.” The core of the building, containing labs and classrooms, is a concrete frame to dampen vibration while the public atrium at the north is constructed of cross laminated timber for visual and textural warmth.

In total, the Resnick Sustainability Center is a dynamic piece of architecture that will open new figurative gateways to sustainability research, education and societal impact.