Tag Archives: UC Berkeley
Urban think tank: Student visions for blighted Berkeley lot
By Rudabeh Pakravan
Empty lots raise questions. Projects take years to make progress, leaving people to wonder what ever happened to the ambitious images promised on signs surrounding the fences. Some of us daydream of transforming unused real estate into community gardens or public housing.
The City of Berkeley’s recent ultimatum to the owner of the site on Haste and Telegraph prompts another question: is there an ideal project for a given site? We typically trust city planners, architects, developers, and other experts to zone and build on the land around us. We may protest or applaud, but we usually let the decisions be made for us.
Students, however, can dream. Working outside of any parameters other than the physical boundaries of the site and the constraints set by their professor, students at UC Berkeley’s Department of Architecture spent the summer working on bold and unlikely proposals for the Haste and Telegraph site. Under the guidance of Professor Darell Fields, a lecturer on the design faculty at Cal, students worked on proposals for an “Urban Think Tank.”
“The project is conceived of as an opportunity to investigate the relationship between public discourse, architecture, and ideology,” said Professor Fields.
Students were encouraged to question how architecture can affect change in public spaces and create a link between research and community. Mainly unaware of the complicated and controversial transactions in the site’s history, students focused instead on issues such as the political legacy of People’s Park, sustainability, homelessness, and art as ways to generate an architecture that inspires public debate. … Continue reading »
Storm erupts over “racist” bake sale on Cal campus
A bake sale to be held on campus Tuesday by the Berkeley College Republicans that proposes to charge customers based on their race and gender has whipped up a storm of controversy and been picked up by myriad media.
The student group announced on Thursday last week that it planned to host an “Increase Diversity Bake Sale” to express its opposition to affirmative action-like legislation sitting on Governor Jerry Brown’s desk, according to the Daily Californian.
The backlash prompted an emergency meeting Sunday evening of the ASUC Senate which unanimously passed a bill to promote “respectful ASUC student organization conduct”.
Watch a report on the case by Newsy (above), the video news service that curates coverage from multiple sources and multiple platforms.
Berkeley Art Museum mixes old with eye-catching new
Well over 100 people came out Wednesday night to see for the first time what Berkeley’s new art museum will look like — once it sees the light of day, which will probably be in 2015 when the $90 million required to build it has been raised.
Designs for the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive were presented by Charles Renfro, principal at New York City-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro, who were appointed to the project in June last year, as … Continue reading »
UC Berkeley’s best work on renovating Memorial Stadium
Some of UC Berkeley’s best brains are at work rebuilding the university’s Memorial Stadium from the ground up. Watch the video above to see how it’s being done — and read the story over at UC Berkeley News Center, which includes another video showing a simulation of how the stadium would move during a strong earthquake.
Related:
Inside Berkeley’s newest, most discreet building [08.08.11]
Cal Chancellor calls on Silicon Valley to help with funding
UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said it’s time for corporate California to step up to the plate and help fund the university.
In light of the severe shortfall in state funding that UC Berkeley is dealing with, the Chancellor said he would like to see companies from Silicon Valley and beyond contributing $100 million to UC Berkeley — money that would be slated for students, such as for financial aid, not the university’s bottom line.
“Companies in Silicon Valley tell us we … Continue reading »
Nikki Henderson: On the frontlines of edible education
People seem to have an insatiable appetite for food matters right now. Case in point: the public tickets for Edible Education 101 at UC Berkeley were snapped up in 12 minutes on Monday, according to a tweet from Alice Waters, who played a key role in bringing the curriculum to the university.
The 13-week course, co-taught by J-school professor and The Omnivore’s Dilemma author Michael Pollan and Nikki Henderson, the executive director of People’s Grocery, … Continue reading »
UC Berkeley’s Caltopia: The ultimate Town & Gown affair
This weekend, when around 30,000 students and faculty stroll through Caltopia, browsing the booths of more than 100 exhibitors, Berkeley’s two driving forces, the city and its university, will be pitched in perfect harmony. And Berkeleyside will be there to sing along too.
Caltopia was launched nine years ago as a way for Berkeley businesses to welcome Cal students, both current and new, back to school. The event runs on Sunday and Monday this year, and classes start up … Continue reading »
Berkeley’s Helios building: One year from breaking ground
This time last year it was a demolition site. Today, the new five-story Helios building in downtown Berkeley stands tall — and vibrant — at 2151 Berkeley Way at Shattuck, not yet complete, but well on the way.
The Helios Energy Research Facility, a UC Berkeley-Berkeley Lab initiative supported with funding from BP, will house Energy Biosciences Institute researchers whose focus is alternative energy. The building took the place of Department of Health Services offices that had stood vacant since 2006.
Burst water main on Hearst causes temporary flooding
A delivery van hit a UC water main this morning at around 10:00 a.m. at Hearst and Gayley, next to the Foothill housing complex, according to Berkeleyside reader Keoki Seu who reported that “water [was] streaming down Hearst”.
John Holland, another loyal reader, sent us the photo above, taken by Jim Richards, which provides the evidence.
Moving out day, and the President goes too
Citizen reporter Dave Gilson sent us this snap of students moving out of their digs on Haste Street. Look who’s leaving with them?
If you see something interesting while you’re out and about in Berkeley, take a photo and email it to us. If you have the Berkeleyside iPhone app, it’s even easier, as your image can be dispatched to us directly
After all, good community journalism happens in the community — and the more roving reporters we have … Continue reading »
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