Arc Institute Wins ENR Regional Best Project Award

Truebeck is thrilled to announce that Arc Institute has won Best Interior/Tenant Improvement from ENR California’s 2024 Regional Best Projects. Award recipients are selected by an independent group of AEC experts. Projects are judged based on industry and community impact, overcoming challenges, safety, and construction and design quality. Click here to see the full list of winners, and read more about the Arc Institute below.

A new institution for curiosity-driven biomedical science and technology, this nonprofit research organization operates in partnership with Stanford University, UCSF, and UC Berkeley to understand the root causes of complex human diseases.

The goal of this project, and what this completed research center provides, is remarkable. To create a facility where multiple scientific disciplines come together to collaborate and work in concert in the pursuit of solving complex diseases, makes this project and its aspirations a truly positive contribution to the community. The physical co-location of researchers covering Arc’s focus areas (neurobiology, immunology, computational science, human genetics, chemical biology and technology development) would not be possible without a flexible and first-class facility.

Occupying space in Stanford Research Park, the Arc Institute project involved the demolition of an existing two-story office space, and the creation of a state-of-the-art life science research lab facility. This facility consists of private and shared office spaces adjacent to the labs, which take up 60% of the building. The labs include cell and tissue culture rooms, cold rooms, and lab support space. This project also involved exterior site upgrades to increase privacy and maximize green space, a full-service kitchen, and the installation of a new service elevator.

Each aspect of the design is intended to maximize user comfort and facilitate off-the-cuff collaboration and free-ranging contemplation. An open, light-filled double-height lobby provides a welcoming entry point that allows secure access to the facility, a new restaurant, and multi-purpose space. On the second level, a communal gathering space called the “town center,” equipped with a spacious garden terrace, provides an area where researchers, faculty, and staff can mingle, get to know one another, and exchange ideas in a relaxed setting. Contemporary furnishings and warm interior finishes contribute to a serene and nourishing atmosphere.

The generous landscape design includes a network of pathways connecting to the street and shaded areas for respite, serving as an extension of the interior. Native plantings are intertwined with existing pine and oak trees; the landscape is a rejuvenating garden for the client’s new home. A new restaurant on the ground level, open to the public, can be accessed directly from the sidewalk or from a garden entrance.

Ultimately, this facility is more than just a building—it is a hub of innovation where scientific minds can collaborate on breakthrough discoveries and the public can engage with and benefit from the vibrant community it fosters. Truebeck extends congratulations to our client, project team, and partners—thank you for all your work that made these awards possible.