The UC Berkeley Durant Hall project consisted of a complete renovation of the historical building. The building, originally designed in 1911 by John Galen Howard as the first home for the Boalt Law School, was renovated into an 18,000 SF Administration building to house deans and staff of the College of Letters and Science.

Except for the common areas, most of Durant’s interior had been altered haphazardly over the decades, leaving little of its historic value behind. Our lighting design combined the use of modern fixtures with the refurbishment of several historical fixtures, from the original building including the “Lamps of Learning”. The combination resulted in an aesthetic balance of old and new while maintaining the historical charm of the building.

Durant earned a LEED Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first LEED-certified building on UC Berkeley’s central campus.

Architect: Ratcliff Architects