UC Berkeley Web Feature
CITRIS headquarters to replace Davis Hall North
BERKELEY – The demolition of Davis Hall North, located in the northeast section of the Berkeley campus near the intersection of Hearst and LeRoy Avenues, is scheduled to begin at the end of August to make way for a state-of-the-art replacement facility that will provide a home for the Center for Information Technology in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), one of the California Institutes for Science and Innovation.
CITRIS was established to sponsor collaborative information technology research that will ultimately provide solutions to grand-challenge social and commercial problems affecting the quality of life of all Californians. Applications of CITRIS research include improvements to energy efficiency, transportation, environmental monitoring, seismic safety, education, cultural research and health care. The new building includes flexible research facilities, a center for distance learning and a state-of-the-art nanofabrication laboratory. The new facility will be located on the same site as the current Davis Hall North, with two floors underground and five floors above.
Construction of the new facility will impact the northeast quadrant of the campus and surrounding area. Fencing around the construction site is scheduled to be in place by August 20. The sidewalk and metered parking on the south side of Hearst Ave. between Euclid and LeRoy Avenues, adjacent to the building site, will be used for construction vehicle access to the site. The fence for the construction site will extend from Euclid Ave. to Cory Hall.
The stairway between Cory and Davis Halls will be closed for the duration of construction. Pedestrian access to the campus from the northside will be available at Northgate or via a new stairway at Founder’s Rock, near the corner of Hearst Ave. and Gayley Rd.
On campus, the roadway between Davis and O’Brien Halls will be restricted and pedestrians will use a covered, lighted walkway to travel in that area. The entrance to Davis Hall South is on the west side of the building, across from O’Brien. Bechtel Terrace will remain open as will the road between Bechtel/Davis and the Hearst Memorial Mining Building.
Street parking adjacent to the construction site will not be available for the duration of construction. The disabled parking spaces at the corner of LeRoy and Hearst will be maintained as will disabled access in the area. Hourly paid parking will continue to be available at existing metered space in the area and at Level 2 of the Lower Hearst Parking structure (no UC permit needed), located at Hearst and Scenic Aves.
Hours of construction are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, in keeping with the City of Berkeley noise ordinance. Most days, construction activities will end around 4 p.m. Any necessary weekend work would take place starting at 9am. The projects will adhere to regulations concerning safety, dust, dirt, exhaust fumes, and storm-water runoff.
Demolition of the existing building is scheduled to take place from approximately August to November 2004. Construction of the new Davis Hall North facility is expected to continue through 2007.
Construction updates will be available online. The project team will also do its best to inform neighbors of any special work or anticipated impacts in advance.
Questions or concerns about this project should be directed to Christine Shaff, UC Berkeley Facilities Services, at 643-4793 or cshaff@cp.berkeley.edu. Other campus resources include the UC Office of Environment Health and Safety at 642-3037 and UC Office of Community Relations at 643-5299.