Undergraduate Academic Building, University of California in Berkeley, CA higher education photos
Undergraduate Academic Building in Berkeley
September 15, 2024
Architects: LMN Architects
Location: Berkeley, California, USA
Photos by Bruce Damonte
Undergraduate Academic Building, Berkeley
Located on a prominent site on the University of California, Berkeley’s campus framing the university’s historic Campanile Way and Strawberry Creek green space, the new Undergraduate Academic Building carefully balances these two contexts to create a new center of gravity for general education on campus. Defined by its mass timber structure and exposed wood elements, the building embraces a sustainable design approach as it knits together a complex network of pathways and green spaces on campus.
Mark Reddington, Partner at LMN Architects, comments: “The Undergraduate Academic Building, located at the center of campus, connects a variety of campus experiences – bridging the academic core with student life activities. The new academic and social hub was designed through an expansive collaboration process with students, faculty, campus leadership, TEF Design, and a diverse team of contributors. The outcome of our engagement and the feedback is this state-of-the-art facility tailored to support modern teaching and learning needs, aiming to elevate student experiences within and beyond the classroom. Designed to be one of the most sustainable mass timber structures on campus, we are excited for the construction progress and look forward to experiencing how the building supports the community at UC Berkeley.”
The design of the five-story building nods to the limestone plaster façades of the campus’s classical core with its clean lines, crisp cladding, and series of covered colonnades. At the same time, the terrace framed by the L-shaped building and the grade-level auditorium below both take cues from the Strawberry Creek green space located just beyond, with an emphasis on organic forms, textures, and native plantings.
Robert Smith, Principal at LMN Architects, comments: “Inspired by the nature around campus and the iconic Strawberry Creek Natural Area, this project will transform Berkeley’s collection of general assignment classrooms and student advising spaces. We worked closely with university stakeholders to design highly efficient flexible classrooms that provide in-room collaboration and infrastructure that supports current and future teaching technologies.
“Inside, full-height windows bring daylight and natural ventilation into the classrooms and animate the mass timber structure and interior spaces. Outside, a series of informal learning spaces create opportunities for students to study, collaborate and socialize. It is exciting to see the project take shape and make the most of the unique setting and climate that is so essential to the Berkeley experience.”
The first mass timber project for UC Berkeley, the Undergraduate Academic Building embraces the environmental and biophilic benefits of wood, significantly reducing the project’s embodied carbon while also creating warm and welcoming spaces throughout. Targeting LEED Gold, the all-electric building is PV-ready and incorporates energy-efficient features such as cross-ventilated classrooms, offices with operable windows and ceiling fans, exterior shading, and demand-control ventilation with heat recovery.
Undergraduate Academic Building, CA
The Undergraduate Academic Building creates a new link between academic pursuits and student life. Its location and porosity allow the building to function as a bridge between the campus’s academic core and the student life facilities across the creek.
Alyosha Verzhbinsky, Principal at TEF Design, comments: “A vibrant new epicenter for undergraduate academic life, the building advances UC Berkeley’s Master Plan and Long Range Development Plan. Its design mediates the urban grid of the campus to the north and the riparian ecotone of Strawberry Creek to the south, leveraging its context to connect students to nature and to one another. Notable features include its mass timber construction and open-air corridors that overlook the park setting of the auditorium’s rooftop terrace, and the wild zone of the creek watershed beyond. For students who call California home and those who aspire to experience the ethos of the Golden State, the project’s celebration of intellectual innovation and indoor/outdoor campus life reflects the distinction of a Cal education.”
The building is designed for education in the 21st century with a versatile learning environment capable of multimodal curriculum delivery that allows it to meet a variety of student learning styles. Housing 27 classrooms and able to accommodate 1,300 students per hour, the building incorporates a variety of informal learning spaces, outdoor study areas, and open corridors, fostering intellectual exchange and collaboration among students. Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles, the building provides adaptable spaces that cater to diverse learning styles, promoting social interaction and inclusive education.
Combining collaborative and flexible General Assignment classrooms, a variety of informal learning environments, and student-facing Administrative Units from the College of Letters & Science—which serves over 26,000 students—this building establishes a new student hub on campus, as well as providing much needed classroom seats. The design incorporates innovative classroom elements, such as turn-to-team seating in the 400-seat lecture hall, along with a variety of collaborative education spaces and classroom sizes, offering an inclusive learning environment emblematic of UC Berkeley’s forward-looking approach to education.
The university celebrated the topping out ceremony on August 27, 2024, and the project is expected to be completed in 2026. LMN Architects is recipient of the 2016 AIA National Architecture Firm Award and is widely recognized for its design of projects that support smart, sustainable cities. The firm has designed over 154 projects on 52 campuses in the United States, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle; the Voxman Music Building at the University of Iowa in Iowa City; Clifton Court Hall at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati; the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business in Clemson; and the Interactive Learning Pavilion at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
TEF Design is a San Francisco-based architecture and interior design practice focused on crafting places that connect people. Known for its diverse regional portfolio of award-winning work for education, healthcare, infrastructure, and community clients their work at UC Berkeley also includes the East Asian Library (with TWBTA) and the new Emeryville satellite campus of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science.
About LMN Architects
Since its founding in 1979, LMN Architects has dedicated its practice to the health and vitality of communities of all scales. Internationally recognized for the planning and design of environments that elevate the social experience. The firm works across a diversity of project typologies, including higher education facilities, science and technology, civic and cultural projects, conference and convention centers, urban mixed-use and transportation.
LMN has successfully completed more than 1,000 projects across North America, such as the Voxman Music Building at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, Texas; Vancouver Convention Centre West in Vancouver, Canada; Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences Middle School in Seattle, Washington; Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington; Sound Transit University of Washington Station in Seattle, Washington; and the recently completed Seattle Convention Center Summit building.
Based in Seattle, Washington, the firm employs 130 talented professionals practicing architecture, interior design, and urban design. The quality of the work has been recognized with over 300 national and international design awards, including the prestigious 2016 National Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Undergraduate Academic Building, University of CA, Berkeley – Building Information
Design: LMN Architects – https://lmnarchitects.com/
Location: Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Client: University of California, Berkeley
Design Years: 2021-2023.
Construction Years: 2023-2026.
Major Building Materials: Mass timber structure with steel braced frames, glass-fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) cladding panels, aluminum curtain wall, and plaster.
Program: General assignment classrooms (1 x 400-seat auditorium with turn-to-team capability, 1 x 100-seat classroom, 25 x 32-seat classrooms), College of Letters & Sciences advising and program offices, informal learning spaces, and student terrace.
Site Area: 66,600 sq. ft.
Total Floor Area: 79,150 sq. ft.
Building Height: 72 ft.
Number of Floors: 5 stories.
LMN Project Team:
Julie Adams, Assoc. AIA
Hasti Afkham
David Backs
Clint Cook, AIA
Scott Crawford, Assoc. AIA
Michael Day
Jennifer DuHamel, AIA
Lauren Hepner, AIA
Sam Lewis
John Lim, AIA
Susan Lowance, AIA
Veronica Macalinao, AIA
Evan McQuillen, AIA
Sonja Miranda, Assoc. IIDA
Graham Moore, Assoc. AIA
Jiayue Peng
Mark Reddington, FAIA
George Shaw, FAIA
Robert Smith, AIA
Anh Tran, Assoc. AIA
Enol Vallina
Alex Woodhouse, AIA
Associate Architect: TEF Design
General Contractor: Plant Construction Company, L.P.
Structural: Forell/Elsesser, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Sherwood Design Engineers
Landscape Architect: Hargreaves Jones
MEP Engineer: Introba
Lighting Design: HLB Lighting Design
Sustainability: Atelier Ten
Acoustic, AV & IT: NV5
Environmental Graphics: Clearstory
Cost Estimator: Directional Logic
Code and Accessibility: Holmes with PCNA
Vertical Transportation: Lerch Bates
Photography: Bruce Damonte
Undergraduate Academic Building, University of CA, Berkeley images / information received 150924 from LMN Architects
Location: Berkeley, California, USA
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