East Asian Library, UC Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Architect
Tod Williams Billie Tsien & Associates
New York, New York USA

Services
Material applications and sourcing, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration of all facade elements and water proofing.

Description
The design of the building requires conformance with the UC Berkeley master plan, but the building developed its own identity by utilizing unique materials that correlate the use of the building. facade elements include large bronze cast Asian grilles, which provide shading and an iconic feature to the building. The stone cladding utilizes an open joint hanging system resulting in clean sightlines and integration of adjacent materials including flat seam copper panels, bronze clad window wall, and lead coated copper accent panels at the parapet are. Although there is significant mass to the building, the facade materials, sightlines, and Asian pattern in the bronze grilles, diminishes the visual mass.