The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design has honored Torrey Heights with The American Architecture Award in the Corporate Office Building category. Flad partnered with developer Breakthrough Properties to master plan the 10-acre life science campus.
The San Diego campus provides three thoughtfully designed, state-of-the-art scientific workplace facilities and an amenity building totaling 520,000 square feet. Offering exceptional views of the Pacific Ocean and its surrounding natural landscape, the Torrey Heights campus works in tandem with its environment to express its own character while echoing the site's layered geologic formations.
The design team took inspiration from the area's geologic forms. With a façade composed of highly articulated, unitized Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) panels, the envelope emphasizes depth and texture. The neutral-colored panels serve as a backdrop to the environment, enabling the façade to change color and texture with the sunlight at different times of the day and year. As day turns to night, strategically placed design lighting accentuates depth and articulation while illuminating the main public area.
Integrating nature and technology to create this inspiring workplace, the design of the campus ensures the building remains in constant dialogue with its surroundings, offering a dynamic visual experience.
The American Architecture Award 
Breakthrough Properties Torrey Heights Development
December 22, 2025