Breaking down silos at Cal Poly: Where undergraduate researchers ‘Learn by Doing’ 
1 AIA LU|HSW

Designed to be the first interdisciplinary building on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus, the William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation unites three colleges under one roof. The new building houses classrooms, labs and faculty office space for the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science and Mathematics, and the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences. 

Attendees will learn about the future of classroom and laboratory design for undergraduate studies: how to create open, inviting and flexible enough spaces to support education priorities for a diverse and increasingly interdisciplinary student body.

The presentation will share the massing approach at the Frost Center and how program requirements led to a language of interconnected tower blocks, which could accommodate large programmatic elements while responding to site topography and campus context. In addition, how the form presented unique challenges for the façade design and daylight optimization. Hear tips for delivering a high-performance building with systems designed to work as an integrated whole.

Thank you to our series Sponsor:

Vladimir Pajkic AIA, LEED AP, NCARB (Partner, ZGF Architects) 

Vladimir Pajkic has extensive international experience envisioning and executing high-profile projects across a variety of building typologies, with an emphasis on research buildings for both academic and private clients. He has also led the design on mixed use, urban design, master planning, museums, high-rise, and hospitality projects. Vladimir joined ZGF following over a decade with Herzog & de Meuron, where, as a partner, his experience includes projects in North America, Asia, and Europe. Originally from Croatia, Vladimir earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University, with studies abroad in China, Rome, and Scandinavia. He is a recipient of numerous academic awards and fellowships and has lectured at universities across Europe, North and South America.

Benjamin Slater (Associate, ZGF Architects)

Raised in Kansas City, Ben Slater moved to Portland in 2017 to work at ZGF. He has over seven years of experience spanning diverse typologies with a particular focus on laboratory buildings for higher education institutions, both academic and private. He works with clients across the United States from Oregon State University to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He has worked extensively with brick and developed an expertise in brick detailing and design expression. Ben received a Master’s of Architecture from Kansas State University where his studies focused on perceptual design.