Humanities and Social Science Building

UCSD’s Humanities and Social Sciences Building (HSS) is a teachable example of the care and retention of historic brutalist architecture within the campus of the Muir College Historic District. Its 1970’s façade of precast concrete had suffered erosion to the point of being hazardous. Moore Ruble Yudell was selected to design the replacement of the entire 8-story exterior curtain wall system.

Given the HSS building’s status as a registered national historic building, strict adherence to Secretary of the Interior Standards for The Treatment of Historic Properties was required. The new exterior had to match existing in virtually every detail.

Forensic analysis identified chemical components in the original concrete mix contributed to deterioration of the panels. After careful chemical analysis our expert team engineered a sulphate and chloride resistant concrete mix designed to withstand the corrosive effects of the marine environment.

The University also had set a highly ambitious schedule for design and construction, and quickly established a highly collaborative team of Owner, Architect, Engineers, and Contractor.

In all, our HSS Repair process demonstrates that challenging architecture from the brutalist period can not only be restored, but advanced to meet today’s greater expectations for building performance and longevity.