Ronald Tutor School of Engineering is a critical component of USC’s plan to become one of the nation’s elite engineering schools, and will house research facilities in three rapidly evolving fields: biomedical technology, information technology and nanotechnology. Meléndrez was selected as the project’s landscape architect, charged with fitting this important facility seamlessly into a major campus thoroughfare.

The building’s location on Bloom Walk gave Meléndrez designers an opportunity to link one of the building’s entries with a new plaza space and this important pedestrian spine. A series of seat walls extend from the building’s entry to Bloom Walk and ultimately connect the facility with the rest of the campus. Designers took advantage of a significant grade drop on the site by incorporating an outdoor plaza area and water feature that will serve as an additional amenity. This area will be home to a courtyard café, and offer space where students, faculty and staff can congregate to exchange ideas, study and socialize. Working collaboratively with the building architects, Meléndrez created a strong connection from the building’s main lobby and outdoor spaces by using materials such as stone and enriched concrete, and begins at Bloom Walk and terminates at the plaza’s water feature.

Building and site are unified by the use of rich paving and planting materials. The resulting project supports academic excellence, along with USC’s mission of fostering collaborative, leading edge research while providing a rich educational environment.

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