An independent structural steel cage—resembling a whale skeleton—frames the theater's organic shape. The cage "travels up and over" the admin building and cantilevers over the south end of the press building to create space for the museum's marquee and cafe.

Despite its location above the admin building, the steel structure is seismically separated from it. It actually will connect laterally to the PFA and the press building. It is as if the PFA form got "snagged" on the edge of the admin building as it turned the corner from the press building to the theater, says Zoe Small, associate with Diller Sofidio + Renfro.

The admin and press sections each have their own shear wall system, with several inches of movement expected during an earthquake. The project team is still working out the details of a glazed facade system that will bridge the gap during these potential movements, Berry says.

Historic Significance

At first glance, passersby might wonder why the campus is making such a fuss to save what some may consider a nondescript building.

"There were people in the community who really wanted to see the architecture stay," says UC Berkeley Capital Projects' Main. "It has historical significance to the community and to the university, and is one of the only examples of Works Progress Administration architecture on any of the [UC] campuses."

Still, the amount of structure and effort going into the renovation might give some pause, says Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Gilmartin. "It might have been a lot easier to tear the whole thing down and start over again, but I think they believed there was a cultural and material value in repurposing this structure."

He adds: "In a symbolic and literal way, the conservation is successful."