Located at a prominent campus gateway and anticipating growth in subsequent phases, the Natural Sciences Building defines three distinct outdoor courts. The building is comprised of two articulated masses at right angles to each other, forming an L-shaped plan, with interactive spaces at the intersection of the two wings.

A stair leads through the heart of the building to a terrace above the lecture hall, culminating in an unexpected view of the Pacific Ocean. On each floor, a luminous ceiling dome in front of the elevators marks the hinge point of the two wings. Open labs and hands-free passage between lab and support areas facilitate cross-disciplinary research, while administrative offices, activity spaces, and meeting rooms foster informal interaction between and among undergraduate students and graduate and faculty researchers throughout the building.

Architects Bundy & Thompson of San Diego served as associate architect for the project.