BERKELEY, CA — As UC Berkeley prepares to open the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Gateway building this fall, Turner celebrates the project that will help shape the future of artificial intelligence, computing, and interdisciplinary research.
The 367,270-square-foot facility will serve as the home of the university’s first new college in more than 50 years: the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS). Designed to bring together students, researchers, faculty, and industry partners across disciplines, the Gateway will be a campus hub for innovation, discovery, and collaboration.
The project represents years of partnership, planning, and craftsmanship dedicated to delivering an academic environment built for connection and impact. The building’s open, light-filled design emphasizes shared spaces, flexible collaboration areas, and opportunities for spontaneous interaction, creating an environment where ideas can move from classroom discussions to research labs and real-world applications.
The Gateway offers research laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, seminar and conference rooms, offices, social kitchens, a café, and rooftop event space. The facility will support more than 1,300 faculty, students, researchers, and staff working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, climate science, health care, and other fields.
Construction of the Gateway began in 2022. Throughout the process, Turner worked closely with UC Berkeley, design partners Weiss/Manfredi and Gensler, trade partners, and campus stakeholders to help bring the university’s vision to life. From complex structural coordination to the integration of highly technical research and educational spaces, the project required innovation, precision, and collaboration at every stage.
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Engineers and project teams across all partner companies worked side by side to solve highly atypical design and construction challenges, including modifications to original designs to meet evolving code requirements and the execution of intricate millwork within the building’s sweeping bends and curved architectural forms. The team also embraced innovative construction technologies and visualization tools to improve coordination, planning, and field execution throughout the project life cycle. In addition, the project team implemented forward-thinking sustainability practices and building strategies that supported waste reduction, material efficiency, and long-term environmental performance, ultimately contributing to Turner’s first TRUE Zero Waste Pre-Certification in the country.
With faculty and staff preparing to move into the building this summer and classrooms expected to be in use this fall, the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Gateway building signals a new chapter for UC Berkeley and a milestone for the Turner team that helped bring it to life.
