Safdie Rabines at Scripps: Coastal Architecture for Marine Conservation

Additional registration fee required. Manage your registration to add.

This tour brings attendees to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where Safdie Rabines Architects will lead an exploration of two LEED Gold facilities that demonstrate thoughtful design across new construction and adaptive reuse.


The first stop, the Scripps Seaside Forum, serves as a conference center for researchers from around the world. Its flexible auditorium opens directly toward the ocean, creating an indoor-outdoor environment that supports both academic gatherings and community events.


The tour then moves to the Marine Conservation and Technology Facility, an adaptive reuse of a 1960s building situated atop 200-foot coastal bluffs. The project transforms the existing structure into a contemporary academic facility with flexible classrooms, teaching and research labs, a stepped terrace with expansive coastal views, and a rooftop caf�-showing how reuse and strategic interventions can elevate educational and research environments.






Mode of Transportation: Bus

Learning Objectives

1. Identify sustainable design strategies that contributed to achieving LEED Gold certification.
2. Explain how design and material decisions enhance durability and structural longevity in a marine environment and along coastal bluffs.
3. Evaluate building systems that improve environmental performance and support occupant well‑being.
4. Discuss how publicly accessible spaces can advance social sustainability, strengthen community connections, and support long‑term campus resilience.

---