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Concept:
The trailers are removed, and the Wellman Courtyard is transformed into a social place and sculpture garden, framed by a double arc of trees and the magnificent buildings of the Agriculture Complex. |
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While each new work of architecture should respond to its own time and place, it should also embody the grace, presence, and civic character of our historic structures. Campus buildings endure far longer than their initial contents, and should be designed to embody the spirit of the university, not merely the needs of current programs, nor ephemeral stylistic trends. They should have the quality, durability, and flexibility to serve the university well for generations.
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Strategic Goals 
Capital investment shall both preserve the campus' architectural legacy and improve the visual quality of the campus, by:
- ensuring the design of each new and renovated building improves the image and experience of the campus as a whole.
- ensuring each new and renovated building has the quality, durability and flexibility to serve the university for generations.
- ensuring new buildings enhance the spatial and architectural integrity of the classical core.
- designating and preserving sites and buildings of cultural value, and prescribing responsible restoration and renovation practices.
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Building Design
While the Berkeley campus does not have a single, strong and coherent architectural vocabulary, it does have many buildings of great distinction, and the best of these comprise the 'classical core': the beaux-arts ensemble of buildings designed primarily by John Galen Howard, the first campus architect. The classical core represents a unique cultural resource, in terms of both its architectural merit and the character it imparts to the campus as a whole. For this reason, new projects within the classical core require more prescriptive design guidelines, to ensure the integrity of this ensemble is preserved and enhanced.
The campus also includes another, more subtle ensemble: the picturesque grouping of buildings along the forks of Strawberry Creek, which also includes a number of historic buildings. While these buildings are more diverse in style, they are united by a common approach to site, form and scale. In contrast to the formality and symmetry of the classical core, these picturesque buildings are designed as informal, highly articulated volumes that respond to the natural contours and features of the site. New projects within the areas of picturesque influence, such as the Haas School, should continue these traditions.
Policy 3.1
Ensure each new project conforms to the design and program criteria in the Design Guidelines.
The Design Guidelines are not meant to preclude alternate design solutions: the best solution for a site should not be rejected just because we could not imagine it in advance. However, while the architects may present a concept which departs from the Guidelines, they must also present a concept which conforms entirely. As a rule, the campus should not depart from the Guidelines except for design solutions of extraordinary quality.
The Guidelines prescribe general principles for the core campus as a whole, and also include more prescriptive criteria for several areas of the campus:
- Projects within the Classical Core shall enhance the integrity of this ensemble, and complement rather than compete with existing historic buildings.
- Projects at the City Interface shall be designed to create a graceful transition from campus to city, and enhance both the visual quality of the street and the pedestrian experience.
- Projects facing Places of Interaction shall shape these places, provide enclosure and security, and admit sunlight. Ground level spaces shall house uses that observe and activate the place.
Policy 3.2
Prepare project-specific guidelines for each major new project prior to feasibility phase approval.
Given the physical diversity of the campus, project-specific guidelines shall also be prepared for each project subject to the approvals process, to ensure the unique features of the site and environs are respected. As described in Project Approval, these project-specific guidelines shall be prepared at the feasibility phase.
The project-specific design guidelines shall specify the landscape and open space improvements to be incorporated into the project scope and budget, pursuant to policy 2.7.
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Cultural Resources
17 sites and structures on campus were placed on the National Register of Historic Places through a 1981 campus submittal, as indicated in figure 3.1. A few other campus buildings have been advanced to the Register by citizen advocates, and the state and city maintain their own inventories. However, the process tends to be ad hoc: designations often result from a real or perceived threat of demolition, rather than objective analysis.
Policy 3.3
Develop standards of historic and cultural significance for the campus, and perform a survey to identify significant campus sites and structures.
Establish guidelines for renovation of significant sites and structures based on the standards.
The cultural and architectural value represented in the sites and structures on campus is a precious resource, and future investment should be directed toward both preserving these structures and maintaining their roles in everyday campus life. A cultural resources survey is a first step toward this objective. It will:
- define the standards of significance for sites and structures,
- identify significant cultural and architectural resources based on those standards, and
- prescribe guidelines for restoration and renovation.
The initial task, developing standards of significance, is now underway.
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Figure 3.1
Cultural & Architectural Resources |
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