After extensive renovation and an addition, the former Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley campus reopened in May 2022 as a modern life science lab building. The brutalist-style, historically significant structure, designed by Mario Ciampi, had been vacated in 2014 after being deemed seismically unsafe. MBH Architects, first brought on for a feasibility study, designed the renovations needed to make the building well-suited for life science laboratories while preserving the structure’s historical significance.
The design for the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub includes a glass-fronted addition and two new public plazas, as well as well-equipped research space, which is often cost-prohibitive for the young companies the facility will accommodate. MBH identified four major challenges to renovating the structure to satisfy the life science requirements:
- Upgrading structural performance to the current code
- Designing a life science and coworking program to fit within the building’s irregular geometry
- Addressing life safety and substantial mechanical modernization
- Performing renovations and upgrades while preserving the building’s historical character
Seismic performance, water intrusion, and acoustic performance, were addressed while bringing the building up to code. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure was overhauled, including the replacement of existing gas service with all-electric systems. This allowed the project to achieve low EUI, operational carbon neutrality, and Net-Zero HVAC water-use, as well as to meet LEED Gold requirements. Because the building is nearly all concrete, including floors, walls, and ceilings, the team was challenged to make all upgrades, including new modern lighting while minimizing the amount of cutting of the original structure.
Programmatic elements include a laboratory, open office areas, collaboration spaces, private offices, conference rooms, an auditorium, an undergraduate program area, terraces, and public outdoor spaces. The former museum’s upper-level galleries became glass-fronted labs that overlook dramatic cantilevered ramps hanging within a sky-lit double height space. These ramps and other parts of the museum’s circulation system that once led visitors from gallery to gallery have been preserved to foster interaction between groups of people who might not otherwise have an occasion to converse. This attribute furthers the university’s goal of encouraging innovation among scientists.
To spiff up what could otherwise be sterile-looking lab spaces, the design team infused the labs with liveliness by making walls brightly colored and importing natural light by uncovering and replacing skylights that had been covered to protect artwork from ultraviolet light damage. Workspaces and common area materials provide forms that contrast and complement the original structure and provide a welcoming environment.
On the Building Team:
Architect/Designer: MBH Architects
Structural Engineer: Forell | Elsesser
MEP: PAE
Historical Consultant: Page and Turnbull
Acoustics Consultant: Salter Associates
Lab Consultant: ZGF Architects
Civil Engineer: Luk & Associates
Landscape Architects: Jett Landscape Architecture + Design
General Contractor: Plant Construction
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
University Buildings | Aug 7, 2023
Eight-story Vancouver Community College building dedicated to clean energy, electric vehicle education
The Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation, to be designed by Stantec, will house classrooms, labs, a library and learning center, an Indigenous gathering space, administrative offices, and multiple collaborative learning spaces.
K-12 Schools | Jul 31, 2023
Austin’s new Rosedale School serves students with special needs aged 3 to 22
In Austin, the Rosedale School has opened for students with special needs aged 3 to 22. The new facility features sensory rooms, fully accessible playgrounds and gardens, community meeting spaces, and an on-site clinic. The school serves 100 learners with special needs from across Austin Independent School District (ISD).
Market Data | Jul 24, 2023
Leading economists call for 2% increase in building construction spending in 2024
Following a 19.7% surge in spending for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings in 2023, leading construction industry economists expect spending growth to come back to earth in 2024, according to the July 2023 AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Panel.
School Construction | Jun 29, 2023
K-12 school construction: 5 ways strong community relations can lead to success
When constructing a K-12 school, building positive relationships with the community—including students, parents, school staff and residents—is critical to the success of the project. Here are five ways Skanska puts the community first when building K-12 schools in the Pacific Northwest.
University Buildings | Jun 26, 2023
Univ. of Calif. Riverside’s plant research facility enables year-round plant growth
The University of California, Riverside’s new plant research facility, a state-of-the-art greenhouse with best-in-class research and climate control technologies, recently held its grand opening. Construction of the two-story, 30,000 sf facility was completed in 2021. It then went through two years of preparation and testing.
Engineers | Jun 14, 2023
The high cost of low maintenance
Walter P Moore’s Javier Balma, PhD, PE, SE, and Webb Wright, PE, identify the primary causes of engineering failures, define proactive versus reactive maintenance, recognize the reasons for deferred maintenance, and identify the financial and safety risks related to deferred maintenance.
Higher Education | Jun 14, 2023
Designing higher education facilities without knowing the end users
A team of architects with Page offers five important factors to consider when designing spaces for multiple—and potentially changing—stakeholders.
K-12 Schools | May 30, 2023
K-12 school sector trends for 2023
Budgeting and political pressures aside, the K-12 school building sector continues to evolve. Security remains a primary objective, as does offering students more varied career options.
K-12 Schools | May 25, 2023
From net zero to net positive in K-12 schools
Perkins Eastman’s pursuit of healthy, net positive schools goes beyond environmental health; it targets all who work, teach, and learn inside them.