UC Berkeley Opens New Bakar Gateway Building
The state-of-the-art facility houses the university's first new college in over five decades.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Remote Work
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UC Berkeley has officially opened the 367,000-square-foot Barbara and Gerson Bakar Gateway building on its campus. It serves as the new home for the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, marking the first time in over 50 years that the university has launched a new college.
Why it matters
The building features a design aimed at fostering collaboration across academic disciplines like AI and robotics. By replacing traditional walls with open areas, the structure seeks to break down barriers between scientific fields.
The new Bakar Gateway building spans 367,000 square feet and represents the first new college institution established at UC Berkeley in over 50 years. The facility was designed by Weiss/Manfredi in partnership with Gensler.
The players
Jennifer Chayes
She is a prominent academic and industry leader who transitioned to UC Berkeley in 2020 after a 23-year tenure at Microsoft.
Barbara and Gerson Bakar
The couple are major university benefactors whose namesake facility now serves as the home for the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society.
The details
The architecture prioritizes shared common areas over private offices to encourage spontaneous interaction among researchers. Its design utilizes curved glass and sleek columns to physically eliminate interior walls between distinct fields of study.
Timeline
Jennifer Chayes began her tenure at UC Berkeley in 2020.
The building reached completion and opening in October 2026.
Market Landscape
The opening of this college signals a major shift in how top-tier research institutions are organizing academic departments to compete for funding in tech-centric fields. This consolidation positions UC Berkeley to maintain its dominance against rival research centers in the AI sector.
Students and researchers should expect a more collaborative campus experience with a focus on shared spaces rather than traditional private offices. The facility's design changes how daily work is conducted for those involved in data science and computing programs.
The takeaway
The move toward open-concept academic spaces reflects a broader trend of prioritizing interdisciplinary collaboration over traditional institutional silos. Implementing similar open-office strategies can help facilitate better teamwork in professional and educational settings.
Further reading
Learn more about local academic and research infrastructure in the Remote Work section.
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Do you believe open-concept spaces improve your ability to collaborate with others?
