It’s hard not to find beauty and sustainability at every corner of the J. Craig Venter Institute building. Situated on an ocean-view bluff in La Jolla, California, it is the only net-zero energy biological laboratory in the world, designed by ZGF Architects to achieve a LEED Platinum certification.
Located on land leased from University of California–San Diego at the edge of the Skeleton Canyon Ecological Preserve, the Institute is dedicated to genomics, for all its health and ethical implications. But the nature of research—using dry and wet labs as well as powerful digital processing—is energy intensive and the source of often-wasted heat.
In response, its architecture, building systems, and IT design, including “plug-and-play” systems that allow for flexibility, help the building consume just 25 percent of the power and water of a similar facility.
Check out more photos below.
