Salk Institute Conservation Project

The Salk Institute Conservation Project sought to develop a conservation treatment for the unique teak window wall assemblies the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (1965), an iconic work of modern architecture designed by architect Louis I. Kahn. The assemblies had deteriorated after nearly fifty years in an exposed marine environment and were thought to be due for a total replacement. The project also sought to inform future conservation of the site’s other significant historic elements.

• Research, on-site investigations, laboratory analysis, trial mock-ups to test conservation treatments, to address the aging of and long-term care for the 203 deteriorating window assemblies set within the building's concrete walls
• Two-thirds of the original Southeast Asian teak conserved and the severely damaged portions replaced in kind
• Experts’ meeting on the conservation of exterior wood elements at buildings designed by Kahn held in 2015 and summarized in an open-access publication

In 2013, Getty partnered with the Salk Institute to address the aging and long-term care of 203 teak window wall assemblies, which are significant elements of the architecture.

After nearly fifty years in an exposed marine environment, the window walls had weathered to a non-uniform appearance and suffered from surface erosion; the growth of a fungal biofilm, likely spread by nearby eucalyptus trees, that gave the wood a black appearance that varied significantly by exposure; changes to the teak color due to previously applied sealers and finishes; insect infestation; and air and moisture infiltration.

Given these conditions, the Salk Institute had initially assumed that total replacement might be necessary, but also recognized that such a project would result in the loss of a significant amount of the building's original material fabric. But the collaborative partnership determined there was a way to conserve, rather than replace, the existing teak window wall assemblies and better protect the site’s significance.

Salk Institute for Biological Studies