Seattle, Washington – September 11, 2024 – LMN Architects celebrates the construction progress and topping out ceremony of the new Undergraduate Academic Building at the University of California, 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.

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.

Learn more about the project here.