Parker Research Lab Renovation Planning

Parker Research Lab Renovation Planning

Planning labs to answer questions of evolution

Dr. Joseph Parker, entomologist, began collecting insects as a young child and never stopped. Parker took his childhood fascination and turned it into a career. In 2017, he arrived at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as an assistant professor.

Currently, Parker focuses on rove beetles that have the potential to answer fundamental questions of evolution. There was a need for a space and tools to take his research to the next level.

Parker’s goal for his space was clear—visual connectivity.

Project Details

Client

California Institute of Technology

Location

Pasadena, California

Square Footage

2,300

Cost

$2.5 million

 

CRB’s laboratory planners worked closely with Parker, Caltech and the design team to carefully articulate the importance of Parker’s research. Together, the team created a collaborative environment that celebrates science.

The building corridor is lined with floor-to-ceiling glass that allows faculty and students walking in the hallway to see into the labs. The design creates a light-filled, open space inside the lab. Additionally, the glass and interior walls are lined with large insect graphics to illustrate the nature of Parker’s work.

The space includes a specialized research lab space, insect behavior and propagation and specialty instrumentation for a two-photon microscopy and mass spectrometry.

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