Nestled into a centrally-located, compact site for easy access to undergraduates, the new Undergraduate Academic Building, designed in collaboration with LMN Architects, will house over 10 percent of the campus’s general assignment classrooms and serve as the home for Letters & Science Advising. Featuring mass timber construction — the first at UC Berkeley — the all-electric L-shaped structure comprises a five-story wing along Campanile Way, a three-story wing facing Dwinelle Hall, and at the intersection of both wings, a partially below-grade, 400-seat Turn-To-Team auditorium.

Thoughtfully designed to blend into its surroundings, the project also encompasses a wide esplanade, adorned with shade trees and bicycle parking, and a spacious western entry plaza, facing Grinelle Glade and Strawberry Creek. Large windows will provide ample natural light and ventilation and its twenty-seven classrooms of varying sizes, with flexible seating arrangements to support various instructional styles, will be equipped with modern instructional technologies. All levels of the building will be easily accessed through the main elevator core, external stairs, and circulation corridors.