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Bakar BioEnginuity Hub

Berkeley, CA

Bakar BioEnginuity Hub is the conversion of a historically significant campus building deemed seismically unsound into a structurally-sound, state of the art laboratory and work space facility. The project is a private/public partnership in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley.

Formerly home to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub project is a private/public partnership in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley. The Museum vacated the famed brutalist building in 2014 because it had been deemed seismically unsafe. MBH was initially brought on to conduct a feasibility study to determine the exact renovations needed to make the building well-suited for life science laboratories while preserving the structure’s historical significance. The goal for the space was to bridge the gap between UC graduate students, life science startups, and established biotech companies by providing well-equipped research space, which is typically cost-prohibitive for young companies. After completing the study and deeming the initiative feasible, MBH was hired to design the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub based on successes designing laboratories for MBC BioLabs and a high standard of care during the feasibility phase.

The rehabilitation of the building, currently called Woo Hon Fai Hall, gives this iconic structure an exciting new life and brings the landmark back to its former glory as a significant part of campus. Historical elements of Mario Ciampi’s Brutalist architecture, completed in 1971, are being upgraded with the utmost care to preserve and protect the building from future damage. Major issues are being addressed, such as seismic performance, water intrusion, and acoustic performance, while bringing the building up to code.
Bakar BioEnginuity Hub will convert the former museum’s upper galleries into 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 will be reused to intentionally create interaction between groups of people who might not otherwise have an occasion to converse. Outside, the building’s exterior has been infused with new life by Jett Landscape Architecture + Design. Two new public plazas will activate the frontages along Bancroft Way and Durant Ave, which previously lacked substantial public space.
The project will target LEED Silver requirements. Additionally, full electrification, including new mechanical and plumbing systems will replace the existing gas service and allow the building to utilize green power, greatly reducing the building’s carbon footprint.

Project Facts

1971

Year Mario Ciampi's Brutalist building was completed

96,000

Square Feet

0.3

Meters from Hayward Fault

Project Gallery

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West Elm Strawberry Village
West Elm Strawberry Village
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