Salk Institute for Biological Studies | Louis I. Kahn

The Salk Institute was established in the 1960s by Jonas Salk, M.D., the developer of the polio vaccine. His goal was to establish an institute that would explore questions about the basic principles of life. He wanted to make it possible for biologists and others to work together in a collaborative environment that would encourage them to consider the wider implications of their discoveries for the future of humanity.

Jonas Salk had a distinct vision for the Salk Institute as he worked with scientists and architects to create a new paradigm for research and collaboration. Pictured above the early 1960s, Salk worked closely on many of the construction details of the Institute.

In December 1959, Salk and architect Louis Kahn began a unique partnership to design such a facility. Salk summarized his aesthetic objectives by telling the architect to "create a facility worthy of a visit by Picasso." Kahn, who was a devoted artist before he became an architect, was able to respond to this challenge.

For San Diego mayor Charles Dail, a polio survivor, bringing the Salk Institute to San Diego was a personal quest. Dail showed Salk 27 acres on a mesa in La Jolla, just west of the proposed site for the new University of California campus then planned for San Diego. In June 1960, in a special referendum, the citizens of San Diego voted overwhelmingly to give the land for Salk's dream. With initial financial support from the National Foundation/March of Dimes, Salk and Kahn were able to proceed.

Groundbreaking took place in 1962, and soon thereafter the Salk Institute for Biological Studies became a reality. A few key researchers were invited to work in temporary buildings which were used while construction was under way. When the first laboratory was opened in 1963, there were five senior scientists and their research teams. This distinguished group of fellows formed members of Salk's first faculty group and in addition to Jonas Salk included Jacob Bronowski, Melvin Cohn, Renato Dulbecco, Edwin Lennox, and Leslie Orgel. The first Nonresident Fellows selected were Leo Szilard, Francis Crick, Salvador Luria, Jacques Monod, and Warren Weaver.

During the next few years, as the Salk expanded, resident fellows (now generally regarded as professors) and nonresident fellows (appointed scientists from other institutions) together advised Dr. Salk about future scientific directions. The organization of the Institute has evolved with time to its present structure, consisting of a board of trustees, a president and CEO, an academic council, and a chairman of the faculty.

Today the major areas of study at Salk are: molecular biology and genetics, neurosciences, and plant biology. Salk research provides new understanding and potential new therapies and treatments for a range of diseases—from cancer, AIDS and Alzheimer's disease, to cardiovascular disorders, anomalies of the brain and birth defects. Discoveries by plant biologists at the Salk pave the way to improving the quality and quantity of the world's food supply and to addressing pressing environmental problems, including global warming.

The Institute has been supported over the years by funds awarded to its members in the form of research grants, most from the National Institutes of Health, and from private foundations and individuals. Especially important has been the continued support of the March of Dimes which, in addition to funds for the original structure, has contributed significantly every year to the Institute's financial needs.

For more details about the history of the Salk Institute, click here for information about the "Genesis of The Salk Institute". Written by Suzanne Bourgeois, Professor Emerita and Founding Director of the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute.

Salk Architecture
The Salk Institute was established in the 1960s by Jonas Salk, M.D., the developer of the polio vaccine. Salk selected the world-renowned architect Louis I. Kahn as the person who could design the facility that he envisioned.

Jonas Salk had a distinctive vision for the creation of the Institute. He directed the world-renowned architect Louis Kahn to provide spacious, unobstructed laboratory spaces that could be adapted to the ever-changing needs of science. The building materials had to be simple, strong, durable, and as maintenance-free as possible.

Kahn's creation consists of two mirror-image structures that flank a grand courtyard. Each building is six stories tall. Three floors contain laboratories and the three levels above the laboratory floors provide access to utilities. Protruding into the courtyard are separate towers that provide space for individual professorial studies. The towers at the east end of the buildings contain heating, ventilating, and other support systems. At the west end are six floors of offices overlooking the ocean. Together, there are 29 separate structures joined together to form the Institute.

You can see the impact of Kahn's architecture in the courtyard. Important to note are Kahn's imaginative use of space and his high regard for natural light. In response to Salk's request that the Institute provide a welcoming and inspiring environment for scientific research, Kahn flooded the laboratories with daylight. He built all four outer walls of the laboratory levels out of large, double-strength glass panes, producing an open, airy work environment. Local zoning codes restricted the height of the buildings so that the first two stories had to be underground. This did not, however, prevent the architect from bringing in daylight: he designed a series of light wells 40 feet long and 25 feet wide on both sides of each building to bring daylight into the lowest level.

The collaboration between Louis Kahn and Jonas Salk produced a design for a facility uniquely suited to scientific research. The next challenge was to realize it through the use of materials that could last for generations with only minimal maintenance. The materials chosen for this purpose were concrete, teak, lead, glass, and special steel. The poured-in-place concrete walls create the first bold impression for visitors. Kahn actually went back to Roman times to rediscover the waterproof qualities and the warm, pinkish glow of "pozzuolanic" concrete. Once the concrete was set, he allowed no further processing of the finish—no grinding, no filling, and above all, no painting. The architect chose an unfinished look for the teak surrounding the study towers and west office windows, and he directed that no sealer or stain be applied to the teak. The building's exterior, with only minor required maintenance, today looks much as it did in the 1960s.

The open courtyard of travertine marble acting as a facade to the sky adds to the monumental nature of the building. In 1992, the Salk received a 25-Year Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and was featured in the AIA exhibit Structures of Our Time: 31 Buildings That Changed Modern Life. The Salk Institute has been described in the San Diego Union-Tribune as the single most significant architectural site in San Diego.