The University of California, Berkeley just announced that they have chosen to work with Diller Scofidio + Renfro to design the new Berkeley Art Musuem + Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA). The site of the new museum is a crucial component for connecting the Berkeley campus while also activating the downtown arts and commerce districts.
More information after the break.
DS+R’s proposal includes plans to repurpose a 48,000-square-foot, art deco style printing plant and to integrate it with a new 50,000-square-foot structure on a site along Oxford Street, between Center and Addison streets in downtown Berkeley.
“Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s commitment to integrating architecture with contemporary culture and civic life perfectly aligns with BAM/PFA’s core mission: to ignite critical dialogue and inspire the imagination through art and film,” said Lawrence Rinder, director of BAM/PFA. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with DS+R to design and build a new museum that will deepen our audiences’ dynamic engagement with art and which will provide educational opportunities for Berkeley, the Bay Area, and the global community.”
DS+R will work directly with EHDD of San Francisco, a nationally recognized architecture firm and the local firm of record for the BAM/PFA project. The new museum complex is targeted for completion by late 2014.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated as DS+R release more information for their design. More on the new building project here.
