Case Study: UC Berkeley advances interdisciplinary innovation with Gensler-designed Bakar Gateway Building

UC Berkeley opens 368,000-square-foot Gateway Building with Gensler

The University of California, Berkeley faced the challenge of eliminating academic silos to foster interdisciplinary collaboration for its new College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. As the university's first new college in over 50 years, it required a dynamic environment to harness the potential of its diverse departments. Gensler provided architecture and design services to create this new facility.

Gensler's solution was the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Gateway Building, a 368,000-square-foot all-electric facility designed with flexible work settings informed by tech workplace experience. The design eliminates silos by linking departments through shared piazzas and social kitchens to spur spontaneous interaction. The result is a new, highly contextual campus gateway that is a catalyst for interdisciplinary exchange, is designed for LEED Gold and targeting Platinum certification, and provides a collaborative home for over 1,300 faculty, students, and staff.

University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)