DIALOG design practice revamps an underutilized three-building complex into the University of California Livermore Collaboration Center (UCLCC). The project involves modernizing the original structure with the primary focus on preserving the pitched roof and the central courtyard built in the 1950s to house a university-level educational facility at the Livermore National Lab site. The Lawrence Livermore National Lab complex comprises a 1-mile by 1-mile block of a gated, highly secured research facility. The UC Livermore Collaboration Center aims to be the hub for expanding collaborations and partnerships between UC, three national laboratories, and other institutions. The design plan opts to give a new breadth to the existing structure accommodating a flexible program within a limited budget.
The collaboration center houses classrooms and lab spaces of different sizes that can easily be reconfigured for various uses. The new design concept intends to revitalize the original architecture, which expands a prominent asymmetrical pitched roof with an extensive overhang. The covering is highlighted in a light color, while the exterior walls are formed as black boxes serving as the shadow of the roof and accentuating the floating effect.
