School of Information Management
“FlexLab” Long Range Teaching Laboratory at South Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
The School of Information Management’s home is South Hall, UC Berkeley’s oldest building. Designed by David Farquharson and constructed in 1873, South Hall is a Registered National Landmark. Its primary classroom, Room 202, now known as the “Flex Lab,” has served as a science laboratory, library, and lecture hall over time.
The challenge was to transform the “Flex Lab” into a hi-tech media space that would gain federal design approvals for new construction within a historic structure. The solution was a large, freestanding, unattached “cabinet” making alteration of the existing structure unnecessary.
Our cutting-edge technical solution to computer and long-range-conferencing needs also provides a space that can be used when national and international leaders give talks at the University. Large-screen projectors and an audio system are built in. Wireless networking as well as ethernet jacks and power monuments are distributed throughout the area. Tables and chairs can be quickly reconfigured to accommodate lectures and group collaborations.