The Enclave is a fast-track, design-build project associated with UC Berkeley and is one of the newest additions to Berkeley’s downtown architectural scene that is located at Telegraph and Haste Streets. The six-story building consists of five stories and 55 units of student housing over retail on the bottom two floors. The building exterior includes a unique rock façade, public art installations, outdoor terraces, and a roof deck. Included in the design are units ranging from studios to five-bedroom apartments, a fitness center, study lounges, and laundry services.
The footprint is rectangular and measures approximately 17,000 square feet for a total of approximately 75,000 square feet. Above the podium level, the building is U-shaped with a courtyard in the middle of the building. The structural system consists of five stories of wood-framed structure over a two-story reinforced concrete podium with post-tensioned slabs. At the fifth and sixth stories, outdoor terraces provide more lounge and study space. The terraces at these two levels are connected by an exterior steel staircase that also serves as a brace for an adjacent exterior wall. A cave-like rock wall façade envelopes the concrete stories and extends to the terraces above. ZFA provided guidance on the connection of this rock wall to the structure and its interaction with the building during a seismic event.
The structure’s seismic force-resisting systems were designed using a two-stage analysis, with conventional wood shear walls and concrete shear walls serving the upper and lower portions, respectively. To limit on-site labor and time, panelized wood wall construction was utilized. Walls were constructed at a Bay Area factory and shipped to site, where they were dropped in place to be finished with their required top plates and sheathing.
The project includes many architectural features such as an elevated archway supporting a large suspended pendant, penthouse towers with decorative finials, and shaped wall recesses. The pedestrian bridge connects the two wings of the rooftop terrace, which offers a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay and its entire skyline.
Photo Credit: © John Sutton (2020)