BAMPFA’s New Building

In Berkeley, California, Diller Scofidio + Renfro reused an existing 1939 Press Building to house galleries, a small theatre and other amenities and to create dynamic intersections across time-periods and styles as as well as among diciplines and programs.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California
Located in downtown Berkeley, directly across from the UC Berkeley campus, the new BAMPFA – The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) –  designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro provides exemplary spaces for exhibitions and film screenings, as well as access to BAMPFA’s encyclopedic collections of art and film.
The new home for BAMPFA everages its location between downtown Berkeley and the UC campus by providing unprecedented visual and physical access to its programs for both visitors and casual passersby.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California
The design merges the old and new to create a permeable interface between the institution and the public.
The supple body of the new structure, draped between the original 1930s orthogonal buildings and snagged on their sharp corners, creates a dramatic public spine that begins as a cantilevered cafe marking the building’s entrance, and culminates in an indoor theater on the other end of the site. The sculptural form of the theater volume reinterprets the 1930s Art Deco style of the press building in a contemporary language of ruled surfaces and precision-formed stainless steel. Meanwhile the original north-facing sawtooth roof of the printing plant is retained, providing indirect natural light to the art galleries within. At the Addison Street end, the new structure is integrated with a large outdoor LED screen and plaza for public screenings.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California
Diller Scofidio + Renfro, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California
Paul Discoe fabricated joinery elements that add natural warmth to the building. The craftsman built the stepped seating of the performance space, the admissions using wood that was salvaged from the Canary Island pine trees that were removed from the building site prior to construction.
Windows along the Center Street facade of the former printing press building have been enlarged, allowing passersby to look into the building and see the Art Wall, a 18 x 8 meter interior surface that overlooks the multilevel performance space. BAMPFA will commission artists from around the world to create temporary murals on this monumental wall twice a year. For the opening, Chinese artist Qiu Zhijie produced a site-specific work on the Art Wall inspired by the Chinese literati garden.

University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California
Program: exhibition space
Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Executive architects: EHDD Architecture
Client: University of California
General contractor: Plant Construction
Project management: UC Berkeley Construction & Design
Accessibility: Margen + Associates
Acoustics: Jaffe Holden
Civil engineer: BKF Engineers
Communications/IT: TEECOM Design Group
Elevators: Edgett Williams Consulting Group
Estimating: Davis Langdon
Facade / Waterproofing: Simpson
Fire and Life Safety: HYT Corporation
The fire consultants: Walnut Creek, CA
Historic preservation: Page & Turnbull
Joinery: Joinery Structures
Lighting: Tillotson Design
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing: Stantec
Security: Steve Keller & Associates
Shoring engineer: Degenkolb Inc.
Signage: PhD
Structural engineers: Forell/Elsesser Engineering
Theater AV: Fisher Dachs Associates
Area: 7680 sqm
Completion: 2016

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