Downtown Los Angeles architecture firm Gensler will design three buildings planned at the 28-acre AltaSea marine research and interpretive center at the Port of Los Angeles.

Gensler will design a 20,000-square-foot visitors’ center; a 60,000-square-foot retrofit of the Berth 37 warehouse into classrooms for oceanic science and research; and 5,000 square-feet of office space that will serve as AltaSea’s headquarters. Gensler will also design a retrofit of Berths 58 to 60 into temporary office and light industrial space for future tenants.

AltaSea, a project backed by the Annenberg Foundation and the Port of Los Angeles, will redevelop and reuse port warehouses and wharf space at 28-acre site called City Dock No. 1 into a site for scientific research, education and business. Businesses at the San Pedro site, sandwiched between the Cabrillo Marina and the port of L.A.’s main channel, will be focused on commercializing concepts developed by the center’s scientists in areas such as ocean sustainability and marine exploration.

Gensler is designing the first phase of the proposed AltaSea campus, and additional space will be developed as market conditions permit and land is remediated, according to a report on the project done by Los Angeles’ Kosmont Cos.

The first phase is expected to be completed by 2023, while rest of the area will be developed over the next 15 to 20 years. The project has a total expected cost of more than $500 million.