UCLA Research Park

When UCLA acquired the former Westwood Mall, a site that had passed through the hands of Google before stalling mid-renovation, they inherited an opportunity to reimagine what a modern research campus could be. RSM Design transformed that layered history into a cohesive identity, unifying public and private spaces and creating an environment that feels simultaneously open and purposeful within the fabric of an urban neighborhood. Guided by three principles: bold and distinct, harmonious and engaging, and adaptive and fluid, the team developed a wayfinding and environmental graphic system where every sign, donor recognition element, and identity marker feels less like an addition and more like something that was always there. The result is a campus where signage, technology, and identity are woven into the DNA of the environment, with a foundation built to grow as the project continues to evolve.