California Memorial Stadium located in Berkeley, CA is a ground-up, renovation, and seismic retrofit Type I concrete and structural steel stadium project. The square footage across a single structure with eight levels above grade including 220,509 square feet of interior occupied space and 155,571 square feet of stadium bowl seating. This multi-phased, highly technical project involved the construction of a state-of-the-art 63,000-seat stadium for the Golden Bears, UC Berkeley’s NCAA Division 1 football team, within the historic stadium walls. The rebuilding effort lowered the athletic field to improve sightlines, replaced the grandstand seating, and added a new plaza level, press box, plaza concourses, and operational spaces. Program elements include the Hall of Fame, Field Level Club and Field Club Mezzanine, an auditorium, recruiting lounge, retail store, kitchen, visiting team lockers, and training spaces.

One of the signature architectural features of the stadium is a two-story, 375-foot-long press box hovering above the west side of the seating bowl. This press box will not only house print, radio, and TV media, but will also have a club space with views and seating facing the field as well as a dramatic 25-foot cantilever balcony that faces campus with views of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate beyond as it appears to hover over the grandstands below.

The new two-story press box structure provides broadcast/media support spaces and a multifunctional University Club Level and club seating. The project features stadium operations and support facilities including vehicle storage, shop space, athletics/operations offices, staff showers/locker rooms, and the officials’ locker rooms.