Shaped like a fan, Ciampi’s building adapts itself to Berkeley’s wavy landscape. Large, connected exposed concrete blocks form a dramatic general view. On the inside the dynamic design could almost be called proto-deconstructivist: robust concrete panels are partly supported by thin pilotis and are interjoined resulting in a multitude of corners and ledges which define the space. Despite the extensive use of exposed concrete, this leads to a fragile overall impression.

The museum was vacated in 2014 due to seismic safety concerns. In the same year, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Since then, it has undergone extensive renovations and was transformed into the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub, which opened in 2022. The building now serves as a modern life sciences facility, accommodating research labs and startup companies while preserving its Brutalist architectural heritage. MBH Architects designed the renovations needed to make the building well-suited for life science laboratories while preserving the structure’s historical significance.

Classified as red-blue (endangered and listed), this building was included in the red list, published in our exhibition catalog SOS Brutalism: A Global Survey (September 2017). After a status review on September 23, 2024, it was reclassified in the online database from red-blue to blue (saved).