Project team
- ACLA
- Marion Brenner, Russell Abraham and ACLA
Maximino Martinez Commons: A sustainable residence hall and apartment complex for 416 students at UC Berkeley, designed to foster community connections and recognized with LEED Gold Certification and a Best Practice Award in Sustainable Design.
As part of UC Berkeley’s 2020 Long Range Development Plan, the Maximino Martinez Commons houses a sophomore residence hall and upper classmen apartments for 416 students in a complex adjoining the historic Anna Head School at the University of California, Berkeley. On the edge of the Berkeley campus, the landscape is designed to create a link between the community and the university.
LEED Gold Certification - U.S. Green Building Council
Best Practice Award in Overall Sustainable Design - California Higher Education Sustainability Conference
- Location: University of California at Berkeley
- Architect: Design Behnisch / Executive EHDD
- Photography: Marion Brenner, Russell Abraham and ACLA
Pedestrian circulation through the site engages both new and existing architecture to create a seamless interface between building and landscape. A variety of outdoor rooms serve diverse functions, ranging from quiet gathering spaces to active use areas.
The landscape respectfully integrates the historic architecture of the former Anna Head School campus with the contemporary housing, balancing connection and separation of the two. Also, working with arborists, the landscape design incorporates vestiges of an historic botanical garden on the site, carefully siting the building around unique existing trees and implementing innovative methods to preserve these rare specimens.
A central green and two interior courtyards satisfy complex programmatic requirements and security concerns.
The project was developed in conjunction with the university’s Office of Capital Projects, the Residential and Student Service Programs, and the Berkeley design community, navigating a challenging political process. At the same time, it adhered to a highly accelerated schedule.
The design incorporates water-saving native plants, including a native meadow, reclaimed wood from trees onsite and creates a vegetated swale that captures and filters storm water runoff.
Like this Project?
Hire ACLA
Professionals used in
this project
The practices and trades credited on this project.
More projects from
ACLA
Other work by ACLA, across every category they build in.
More in
Schools
Everything else in Schools, from every practice on ArchiPro.
Next Project
Keep scrolling