SIO Hillside Neighborhood Planning Study

Executive Summary

The overall objective of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Hillside Neighborhood Planning Study is to guide future development by accommodating academic needs and continuing the spirit and traditions of the Scripps community. This document includes:

• a development program appropriate to this hillside site and consistent with the Long Range Development Plan for the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) including SIO;
• a neighborhood plan that organizes the program and planning requirements, and establishes the overall development and landscape pattern; and
• design principles and guidelines that support the plan and extend the unique relationships that exist between SIO and its physical environment.

The Hillside Neighborhood site is a steep tract of land east of La Jolla Shores Drive and the original Scripps campus (SIO West). The 24-acre site slopes towards the west affording expansive views of SIO West, Point La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean. Roads border most of the site except to the south where it is contiguous with the UCSD Park, an open space area where development is restricted. Within the site, natural slopes and patches of native vegetation occur along the north, east and south boundaries. The landscape and landfonn pattern on the remainder have been disrupted by development, regrading and the introduction of non-indigenous plantings such as eucalyptus. Underlying geotechnical conditions and an unclassified fault line that traverses the site create the potential for slope instability. These conditions can probably be mitigated, but will require further investigation prior to development.

The development program for this neighborhood consists of academic uses and parking facilities. Existing and near-terin development consists primarily of physical oceanography, climate and atmospheric science and related support space. The existing and projected program totals for this neighborhood are:

The Hillside Neighborhood Plan extends the social fabric of SIO West onto this sloped site by interweaving buildings and landscape with indoor and outdoor meeting and work areas. Buildings, carefully fit to the land, create embayments that retain the natural hillside and focus activity around courts located on the existing graded areas. Landscaping outside or "outboard" of development remains rustic in character; landscaping within or "inboard" of development enhances the quality and enjoyment of the workspaces and outdoor rooms. A grove of trees marks an accessible passageway that moves west to east across the site. This path is the spine of a pedestrian network that focuses movement through the neighborhood, linking the courts and buildings and creating potential for social exchange. These elements combine to create a cohesive neighborhood reflecting the tight-knit SIO community of scholars, scientists, students and work groups.

Six key design principles underlie the provisions of this neighborhood plan. These principles express objectives valued by the SIO community. Supporting guidelines and recommendations for implementation focus on elements of the neighborhood which provide continuity across the boundaries of individual projects or parcels.

• Site conservation and improvement recognizes that much of the identity of this neighborhood will be derived from its landfonn, landscape and micro-climate. The pattern of new development should embrace these characteristics. Buildings, roads and paths should be placed on the hillside in ways that minimize disruption to the intact portions of the site and organize the portions that have been previously disturbed. The overall shape and character of the land should remain evident throughout the neighborhood.
• View corridors and outlook are important in orienting and positioning viewers in the larger context. The views to the coast and ocean are especially powerful characteristics of the site. New development within the neighborhood should open to ocean views and should not obstruct public views from higher elevations. Common places and passages within the neighborhood that are used by many people should provide outlook.
• Scripps Ladder is an accessible passageway through SIO West and is to be extended into the SIO Hillside Neighborhood. It will help people find their way, link a variety of programs and activities, and provide opportunities for paths to cross. Inclined paths, bridges, elevators and open-air corridors will connect pedestrian circulation to create a fully accessible campus on steeply sloping land.
• Scripps Courts extend a pattern of outdoor spaces that exist throughout SIO West into this neighborhood. A hierarchy of defined courtyards define work and service areas as well as large and small outdoor meeting and relaxation places. They provide places of common identity for various working groups, meeting places along paths and primary access to buildings.
• Linked buildings step carefully down and across the hillside, forging the connections necessary to extend the ladder, defining the hierarchy of courts, and defining the surrounding open spaces. This principle refines the building concepts in the UCSD Master Plan Study by further identifying building types and siting strategies which provide for the linkages throughout the neighborhood.
• Building form and character respond to the micro-climate and landscape characteristics in ways that enhance the usefulness of the workspaces. The structures should be designed to properly respond to their particular solar orientation, harsh ocean exposure, wind and climatic conditions while providing the flexibility required by the scholars, scientists, staff and students who will use them.