Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive . Berkeley

Diller Scofidio + Renfro . more: archdaily

At the boundary between the City of Berkeley and the historic University campus, the new SAM/PM is a bridge Institution, balancing civic and university interests, aligning its location with its mission as a nexus of critical discourse for the university and the community. This threshold location at the West Crescent, and its proximity to the BART transit network, will allow the SAM/PM to be a strong cultural, educational, and social hub that unites local and visiting populations. The Berkeley Art Museum and the Pacific Film Archive are two distinct Institutions reuniting to operate as one. In addition, the new BAM/PFA facility is the product of multiple buildings — a multi-story art deco building, an industrial shed, and a new structure.

The challenge is the integration of these distinct Institutions and buildings into a cohesive whole. The Berkeley Art Museum occupies the space within the existing industrial shed building of the University Press, while the Pacific Film Archive will be located in a stand-alone structure adjacent to the shed. BAM/PFA is thus defined by these two primary components. The identity of each institution is both blended together and set apart by two new "ground planes": an excavated lower ground level for the Berkeley Art Museum and an elevated new ground in the air for the Pacific Film Archive.