UC Berkeley Archives - Ů /tag/uc-berkeley/ Design - Construction - Operations Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:55:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 /wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cropped-SCN_favicon-32x32.png UC Berkeley Archives - Ů /tag/uc-berkeley/ 32 32 UC Berkeley Breaks Ground on Genomics, Biotech Lab Building /2026/07/06/uc-berkeley-breaks-ground-on-genomics-biotech-lab-building/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:46:29 +0000 /?p=55208 The University of California,Berkeley(UC Berkeley)has broken ground on the Innovative Genomics Institute-Bakar Labs building,advancing a major life sciences project intended to connect academic research,entrepreneurshipand biotechnology growth.

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]]> The facility will provide laboratory, research and collaboration space for the Innovative Genomics Institute and Bakar Labs, supporting genome engineering research and companies moving from incubation into larger-scale operations. | Photo Credit: Weiss/Manfredi Architects, DGA

  • UC Berkeley, the Innovative Genomics Institute,BakarLabsand Turner Constructionmarkedthe groundbreaking of the IGI-Bakar Labs buildingon July 1.
  • The project will add laboratory,researchand collaboration space for genomics researchers and emerging biotechnology companies.
  • The building is planned as a cornerstone of Berkeley’s Innovation Zone and will support CRISPR-based research and life science startups.
  • The July 1 announcementidentifiesWeiss/Manfredi as lead design architect and DGA as executive architect.

BERKELEY, Calif. —The University of California,Berkeley(UC Berkeley)has broken ground on the Innovative Genomics Institute-Bakar Labs building,advancing a major life sciences project intended to connect academic research,entrepreneurshipand biotechnology growth.

The facility, designed by lead architect Weiss/Manfredi and executive architect DGA will provide laboratory, research and collaboration space for the Innovative Genomics Institute and Bakar Labs, supporting genome engineering research and companies moving from incubation into larger-scale operations.

The groundbreaking brought togetherbuilderTurnerConstruction as well as representatives fromUC Berkeley, the Innovative Genomics Institute, Bakar Labs,projectpartners,researchersand community leaderto celebrate thesignificant milestone for one of the Bay Area’s major life sciences developments.

“This groundbreaking is a celebration of partnership,” said Manu Garg,ProjectExecutive for Turner, according to. “Projects of this significance are only possible when owners, designers, builders, researchers, and community stakeholders come together around a common vision. We are honored to work alongside UC Berkeley, the Innovative Genomics Institute, Bakar Labs, and the entire project team to help create a facility that will empower the next generation of scientific breakthroughs.”

The building is expected to become part of Berkeley’s Innovation Zone and further strengthen the city’s role in biotechnology and climate-focused research. Turner said the project reflects years of planning and collaboration among UC Berkeley, IGI, Bakar Labs, philanthropic supporters, architects Weiss/Manfredi and DGA, engineers,consultantsand construction partners.

When complete, the new building will support IGI’s genomics research and Bakar Labs’ network of emerging biotechnology companies. Turner said the facility will expand capacity for CRISPR-based research while creating infrastructure for life science startups moving from early-stage incubation to growth.

“This is a pivotal moment for genome engineering around the world, and the IGI and UC Berkeley are at the leading edge,” said Jennifer Doudna, founder of IGI and Nobel laureate, according to. “This new building is an exciting opportunity to grow the longtime partnership between the IGI and Bakar Labs, and to show the power of combining impact-driven research and entrepreneurship in one space.”

For Berkeley, Turner said the projectrepresentsan investment in innovation, economicdevelopmentand opportunity by creating space where researchers, entrepreneurs and emerging biotech companies can collaborate inclose proximity.

Turner said the facility is intended to help discoveries made in Berkeley continue to grow and scale within the city. The groundbreaking marks the start of construction on a project positioned to support scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators working on research and technologies with broad potential impact.

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]]> How UC Berkeley’s Creekside Center Reimagines Accessibility and Sustainability /2026/02/09/how-uc-berkeleys-creekside-center-reimagines-accessibility-and-sustainability/ Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:48:51 +0000 /?p=54680 The reimagined Creekside Center at UC Berkeley represents a fundamental shift in how accessibility, sustainability, and historic preservation can coexist within the academic built environment.

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]]> The building’s exterior was carefully rehabilitated, with its historic characterretained and repaired, when possible. | Photo Credit (all): Bruce Damonte

By Ryan Jang and Cecily Ng

Solar shades and dimmer switches for all overhead lights allow occupants to control the quality of light.
Solar shades and dimmer switches for all overhead lights allow occupants to control the quality of light.

The reimagined Creekside Center at UC Berkeleyrepresentsa fundamental shift in how accessibility, sustainability, and historic preservation can coexist within the academic built environment. Located in the campus’ classical core, the project transformed the formerDwinelleHall Annex — a deteriorating, barrier-laden structure — into an inclusive, high-performance home for the university’s Disabled Students’ Program (DSP). Rather than treating accessibility as a compliance exercise, the design team approached the renovation as an opportunity todemonstratehow universal design can enhance comfort, resilience, and agency for all building users.

Shaped by an extensive programming process that included feedback from students, staff, and campus stakeholders, the project is rooted in DSP’s belief that “an accessible environment universally benefits everyone.”More than4,000 students visit thebuilding regularly to receive services such as proctoring, alternativemediaand interpreting.

A Historic Building with Modern Barriers

The two-story building is nestled in the mature trees north of Strawberry Creek.Originallydesignedby John Galen Howard in 1920in the First Bay Tradition,there wereadditions in 1924 by Howard and 1949 by Michael Goodman.Whentheproject began in 2021,many features attributingthe buildingto the First Bay Traditionwere presentbutin a state of disrepair. A non-code compliant ramp linked three of the lower elevations while the upper floors were disconnectedandonlyreachablebystairs.The exterior suffered from water intrusion, rot, and pest damage.The existingsteamheating system was served bythe campus central plantin a highly inefficient manner. There was no mechanical ventilation or air filtration system.

Restoring Character While Improving Performance

Each office has an independently controlled thermostat, and every regularly occupied space has at least one operable window to provide individual choice in the quality and temperature of airflow.
Each office has an independently controlled thermostat, and every regularly occupied space has at least one operable window to provide individual choice in the quality and temperature of airflow.

The building’s exterior was carefully rehabilitated, with its historic characterretainedand repaired, when possible. Newcladdingreplicatesthe original redwood board and batten siding. Thelow-pitched gabled roof eaves and fasciaswere restored. Thespearmint-coloredwindows with dividedliteswere replaced with high performance windows ofthe same sizeand appearance. “High performance”couldnot just address environmental qualities.Window modelswerealsoevaluated foraccessibilityfeaturessuch as operating force and the height of locking and lifting mechanisms.

Other envelope-tightening measures included adding weather barriers and insulation to the exterior walls,roofand floors. The project installed all-electric mechanical systems.Through thisdeep-energyretrofit,actual energyusein the six months of full occupancy has been 84% below baseline. The embodied carbon intensity is 63% lower than the median new-construction educational building.

A Ramp as the Building’s Circulation Spine

The one major exterior addition is a new ramp that connects the five existing floor elevations. As thesinglecirculationspine, the rampfacilitatesequitableaccess throughout the building. Large expanses of glazing along the rampallowsviews clear across the building from the campus to the creek. Exposed structural wood postssupporting the rampcreate a unifying cadence and a place for handrail brackets. By expressing the ramp slope on the exterior withacontemporaryfiber cement panel façade, the rampbecomesa beacon that communicates universal access.

Universal Design Beyond Code Requirements

Wood is used in high touch places such as windows, handrails, and wall end caps.
Wood is used in high touch places such as windows, handrails, and wall end caps.

Universal Design strategies exceed codeaccessibilityrequirements and include color and form-based wayfinding and biophilia rich interiors.The restoredexistingwoodroof trusses were exposedas an interior finish materialandinfluenced theremainderof the interior material palette. Wood is used in high touch places such as windows, handrails, and wall end caps. The wood provided textural and color contrast, both of which help make spaces more accessible, without overwhelming the senses.

Preserving the existing floor to floor height significantly limited the space for mechanical equipment. By selectively lowering the ceiling atthethresholdbetweencirculationandprogram spaces, the team created room for the equipment and provided an area for an individual to decompress before deciding how to engage with the space ahead.The floor materialand wallcolor differ from the adjacent spaces and are only usedinthe thresholds. The color, texture, and difference in light qualityin the threshold spaces signifiesto someone with low vision they were about to enter a new type of space.

Designing for Choice, Agency, and Comfort

The thresholdsofferindividualchoice,a themealsointegratedelsewhere. Eachofficehas an independently controlledthermostat,andeveryregularly occupied space has atleast one operable windowtoprovide individualchoice in the quality and temperature of airflow. Solar shades and dimmer switches for all overhead lightsallow occupants to control the quality of light.Individualized controls are often missing from today’s workspaces, but these featuresareeasy to integrate and go a long way to make occupants feel welcome.

To guide the project beyond minimum code accessibility, the team devised a list ofeight“Impact Areas” that connect access needs to design features rather than assigning features to specific disabilities. The Impact Areas includedneedssuch as community building and privacy, cognitive access, and sensory zoning.The Impact Areasoffereda framework to address “dueling disabilities,” wherepeople have drastically different environmental needs,andultimatelyhelpedthe teamprovide agency and enhance feelings of safety and securityin the building.Creekside Center provides a much-needed home for a community that hashistorically marginalized from the design of the built environment.

Ryan Jang,AIA, LEED AP, is a Principal and Cecily Ng, AIA, is an AssociatewithLeddy Maytum Stacy Architects.

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]]> New UC Berkeley Center for Disabled Students Will Aim for LEED Gold /2024/02/28/new-uc-berkeley-center-for-disabled-students-will-aim-for-leed-gold/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 11:50:34 +0000 /?p=52331 Design firm LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects will reimagine the University of California, Berkeley’s Dwinelle Annex Renovation as the new home of the Center for the University’s Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) as the DSP has outgrown its current space.

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]]> By Eric Althoff

BERKELEY, Calif.—Design firm LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects will reimagine the University of California, Berkeley’s Dwinelle Annex Renovation as the new home of the Center for the University’s Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) as the DSP has outgrown its current space.

The architect will oversee efforts to retrofit the annex building for earthquake preparedness, as well as perform other safety improvements. Additionally, the 9,000-square-foot renovation will enhance capabilities for disabled students and consolidate staff currently spread out at different buildings into a single location. The new DSP will be able to service more than 4,000 students when completed.

LEDDY MAYTUM STACY’s plan calls for a redesigned entry plaza that blends seamlessly with the new lobby. The east and west wings will connect on the second floor via a transparent passageway that allows people to see both in as well as out. Additionally, the building abuts a nearby creek, which thereby blends Berkeley’s urban setting with Northern California’s natural beauty.

Project partners will include Sherwood Design Engineers, Forell | Elsesser, The Engineering Enterprise, SGH and Buro Happold. The renovation project, which aims to attain LEED Gold, is projected to be completed later this year.

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