S A L K
I N S T I T U T E
TECHNICAL
INFORMATION
Geographical Location –
10010 N Torrey Pines Rd,
La Jolla, California,
United States
Founder – Jonas Salk
Architect - Louis Kahn
Structural engineer -
August Komendant
Project Year - 1959 –
1965
HISTORY
Jonas Salk, the man who
had discovered the vaccine
for polio, was gifted with
27 acres of land
overlooking the Pacific
Ocean by the City of San
Diego in 1960, Salk
He wanted to create a collaborative environment where partnered with architect
researchers could explore the basic principles of life and Louis Kahn to design a
contemplate the wider implications of their discoveries for research center.
the future of humanity. He summarized his aesthetic
objectives by telling Kahn to “create a facility worthy of a
visit by Picasso.”
ARCHITECT
Architect Louiss Khan is
ARCHITEC known as one of the pioneering
architects of the 20th century..
T The architectural character of
his works mainly focused on
simple straight-line planning,
clean definitive facades, and a
highly concentrated material
palette. Louiss Kahn’s basic
design philosophy revolved
around the fundamental ideas
of light, shadow, and massing.
The quality of silence was
majorly noted in one of his
most celebrated structures,
Salk institute.
EARLY
SKETCHES
` BY
LOUIS KAHN
DESIGN
PROCESS
Along with the lofty
instructions, Salk laid
down a series of more
practical requirements.
Laboratory spaces in the
new facility would have to
be open, spacious, and
The spatial organization of the institute takes inspiration from
easily updated. The entire
the design of monasteries-secluded intellectual community
structure was to be simple
where three zones were to stand apart, all facing the ocean to
and durable, requiring
the west: the Meeting House, the Village, and the laboratories.
minimal maintenance.
Ultimately, the Meeting House and Village were cut from the
project, and only the laboratories were built.
The design narrates the
discipline, through its
perfect symmetrical
massing, majorly
hardscaped foregrounds,
and controlled landscape.
The layout played an
important role within the
orientation of the campus,
as one of the design aims
was to appreciate the
natural context. Kahn’s
masterwork consists of two
mirror-image structures –
each six stories tall – that
flank a grand travertine
courtyard.
The central court is lined
by a series of detached
towers whose diagonal
protrusions allow for
windows facing westward
onto the ocean. These
towers are connected to
the rectangular laboratory
`
blocks by small bridges
surrounding staircase
blocks, providing passage
across the rifts of the two
sunken courts which allow
natural light to permeate
into the research spaces
below.
Many of the design
decisions Kahn
implemented in the Salk
Institute derived from
lessons learned during his
work on the Richards
Medical Research
Laboratories at the
University of
Pennsylvania. Issues with The buildings themselves have been designed to promote
crowding at the Richards collaboration; thus, there are no walls separating
Laboratories led to the laboratories on any of the floors. those seeking privacy
more open, unobstructed must cross the bridges into one of the ten towers which
layout at Salk. line the central square.
PRIVATE
STUDY
The towers contain small
studies, with their west-
facing windows directing
views toward the square and
the Pacific Ocean beyond.
Studies are more humanized
space which Kahn referred
as ‘The oak table and rug
area’. Custom teak windows
slide open to allow for
natural ventilation. Sunlight
is controlled through
louvered shutters
customized by Louiss Kahn.
The interiors of each study
is customized with white
oak panels, bookshelves
and casework. Each study
has a private restroom with
slate, wood and mirror.
SPACE
ORGANIZATION
Laboratories
Private Study
Office wing
Mechanical wing
Services
ACTIVE - PASSIVE VENTILATION ZONES
The alternation of
laboratory and
infrastructural levels
allows for building
maintenance to occur
without disrupting
the research taking
place above or
below.
MATERIAL
The next challenge was
selecting materials that
could last for generations
with minimal maintenance.
Chosen materials to meet
these criteria were
concrete, teak, travertine,
lead, glass, and steel. In the
complex’s basement, there
are different colored water
walls because Kahn was
experimenting with the
mixtures.
Kahn chose the ancient
roman ‘Pozzolanic’
concrete for a warm
pinkish glow and a
waterproofing element as
well. The poured-in-place
concrete walls deliver the
first bold impression for
visitors. It was constructed
using plywood form panels
coated with six layers of
resin and then sanded down
to have the smooth surface.
To hide the joints between
two panels Kahn created
the bewelled edges.
For vibrating the concrete
worker was specially
trained to get partial
fissures in wall to mimic
natural travertine stone in
manmade concrete walls.
DAYLIGHT
In response to Salk’s
request that the Institute be
a welcoming, inspiring
environment for scientific
research, Kahn flooded the
laboratories with daylight.
He built all the exterior walls
out of large, double-strength
glass panels to create an
open, airy work setting on the
laboratory levels. Local
zoning codes restricted the
buildings’ height so that the
first two stories had to be
`
underground. However, this
did not prevent the architect
from bringing in daylight: he
designed a series of light
wells 40 feet long and 25 feet
wide on both sides of each
building to bring daylight into
the lowest level.
LIGHT
`
WELLS
WATER
ELEMENT
The construction started
with Kahn still intending to
put a garden court between
the two blocks. However
Kahn invited Luis Barragan
to review his design.
Barragán told Kahn that “he
should not add one leaf, nor
plant, not one flower, nor
dirt. Instead, make it a plaza
with a single water feature.
If you make a plaza, you
will have another facade to
the sky.”
The water channel running
the axis of the central plaza
divides in into two halves
to achieve symmetry,
drives your eyes to the blue
horizon.
CONCLUSION
In the five decades that have
passed since the Salk
Institute opened its doors in
1965, the external
appearance of Kahn’s
masterwork remains largely
unaltered. The concrete and
stone have withstood the
seaside elements almost
entirely unscathed, while a
recent preservation effort by
the Getty Foundation sought
to repair the teak paneling
while preserving 70% of the
original material.
THANK YOU
PRESENTED BY
AAMENA BHANAPATEL - 002
PRIYANSHI CHORAWALA - 011
JAMES MAIYANI - 045
HEER PATEL - 059
YASHVI PATEL- 089
