Located at the northern point of California’s Monterey Bay, the University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz), is a student-centered research university leading at the intersection of innovation and social justice. Offering a variety of majors, from computer science to environmental studies to film/video and photographic arts, the university is enhancing its amenities to support student success. One example is the recent renovation of the Science and Engineering Library (SEL). In spring 2021, we were awarded the design-build project to renovate the first floor of the SEL.

As a designer, libraries and makers’ spaces are types of programs that I’m particularly passionate about. They are hubs for education, experimentation, and discovery. It’s hard to ignore my personal bias towards this type of program, as it was these spaces that inspired me throughout my academic career. Our team wanted to create a space on the first floor of the SEL that would have that same impact on its future users

Gathering Inspiration from Astronomer and Oceanographer Kathryn D. Sullivan

After being introduced to the project and client team, we were thrilled by the level of enthusiasm and engagement from the library program managers. Each had a clear vision of what they hoped the future space might entail and were eager to remain involved throughout the design process. We learned that the floor was to be dedicated to alumna Kathryn D. Sullivan, who served as the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 2014-2017. A record-breaker, Sullivan is the first American woman to walk in space, the first woman to traverse the deepest part of the ocean (the Mariana Trench), and is the only person to have accomplished both. In learning about this illustrious dedication, we sought to weave elements of her inspiring career into the floor’s aesthetic.

Designing with Cutting-Edge Technology and Oceanic Inspiration in Mind

The project scope included a dedicated, enclosed area for the university's new Digital Scholarship Innovation (DSI) studio, which is a maker's space outfitted with 3D printing equipment, laser cutting machinery, and a holograph machine. The remainder of the space offered a modern twist on a traditional reading space, hosting high-density shelving carriages, leaving plenty of room for new banks of study tables and demountable group study rooms. 

Instead of merely selecting colors and finishes, we actively sought to make the space as immersive as possible through new applications of our individual skillsets.” Madeline Villena

Because the third floor of the SEL is dedicated to the astrophysicist Sandra Faber, the design team decided to highlight the oceanography career of Sullivan on the first floor. To achieve this, we used a color palette of blues and grays with green accents. Something we were particularly excited about was the use of mural graphics throughout the space to activate otherwise plain surfaces, such as the endcaps of the mobile shelving carriages. Within the walls of the DSI studio, we installed a vinyl graphic that incorporated a 3D printing infill pattern while evoking organic geometry that might be found in a coral reef. As designers, working on the ocean-themed mural graphic was an out-of-the-box way to integrate our experience with manual illustration. We were excited to create something that would be entirely unique to UC Santa Cruz.

Integrating Personal Design Experience to Create Unique Spaces

Working on a space that is designed for interdisciplinary practice among its users felt like the perfect channel for us to think in that same manner as designers, calling on our own personal knowledge of 3D printing and existing experience in illustration. Instead of merely selecting colors and finishes, we actively sought to make the space as immersive as possible through new applications of our individual skillsets.

Seeing this floor come together throughout construction was an exciting process that entailed collaboration with the university from start to finish. Our hope is that the library's end users enjoy the finished space as much as we enjoyed the process of designing it.