SGPA Architecture and Planning was invited to attend the 2015 Berkeley Design Advocates Awards for Design Excellence in March. The Awards honor projects in the Berkeley community within three categories: Restoration and Re-use, New Construction/Civic Institutions, and Food and Drink.

Anthony Bruzzone, President of Berkeley Design Advocates, greeted the attendees at the 11th Biennial Awards with the following notes: “We embrace design excellence, social awareness and environmental sustainability in all aspects of our work and our public engagement. These awards acknowledge projects that aspire to these principles.”

Completed in 2014, the WBHC is also a recipient of the 2014 Preservation Award from the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association and was nominated for the Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation.

A former day care center that once belonged to the school district, this National Historic Register building was designed in 1927 by the architect Walter Ratcliff. The $8 million remodel includes renovation of the existing space and construction of a three-story addition. Meeting LEED Silver criteria, this renovation respects the historic character of the building while increasing capacity by 40%.

The West Berkeley facility has expanded from 13 to 27 exam rooms and will now accommodate 10,000 patients a year, up from 6,000. Each floor offers a full family practice where doctors, therapists, and social workers cluster their offices into integrated care pods. A prescription dispensary and a blood center are also located on site to satisfy full-service medical visits.

As the awards brochure noted, the LifeLong West Berkeley Health Center “very thoughtfully – and seamlessly – combines new construction with the thoughtful reuse of a historic building.” Along with its fellow Restoration and Re-use category award recipients, the projects “…remind us of the contributions of historic structures and landscapes to the richness of our urban fabric, whether they be worthy and handsome everyday buildings or recognized landmarks.”

Stuart Stoller, SGPA’s Director of its Senior Living + Wellness studio, remarked, “This project was a team effort from conception to completion, reflecting Lifelong Medical’s vision of providing the highest level of patient centered care while restoring the valuable neighborhood resource of a beautiful historic building.  We are gratified that advocates of better design and smarter development in Berkeley have honored this team’s efforts.”

Berkeley Design Advocates is a volunteer group comprised of architects and urban planners in Berkeley, California. Their complete awards brochure is available here.

LWBHC

 

SGPA Architecture and Planning worked on Lifelong West Berkeley Health Center with the following team: JSW/D Architects (Design Architect), Siegel & Strain Architects (Historic Consultants), Keller Mitchell & Co. (Landscape Architect), Ingraham-Dejesse Associates (Structural Engineer), Tommy Siu & Associates (Mechanical Engineer), Zeiger Electrical Engineers (Electrical Engineer), Oliver & Co. (Builder/Contractor)

Posted in: Senior Living