Golden Shovels, Green Vision: A Collaborative Effort Breaks Ground on the Future Home of Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials

5 min read

Breaking ground for BL E&M with golden shovels: L-R: Chris Yetter, Senior Advisor to the Provost; Alexis Bell, Deputy Director, BL E&M; Jeremy Alberga, COO, Bakar Labs; Gino Segre, Managing Director, Bakar Bio Labs; David Schaffer, Director, Bakar Labs & QB3; Adrian Miu, Business Operations Manager, Bakar Labs; Kaspar Mossman, Managing Director, QB3 & Communications Director, Bakar Labs.

By Ruhani Chhabra.

On Thursday, October 25, Bakar Labs Director Dave Schaffer and senior staff joined Turner Construction and A² Project Solutions for a “golden shovel” celebration recognizing the kickoff of construction for the future home of Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials at the University of California, Berkeley.

The facility, scheduled to open in 2028 and located on the west side of campus (Oxford Street at University Avenue, in the new Berkeley Innovation Zone), will feature state-of-the-art labs, offices, and collaboration spaces designed to accelerate commercialization of clean energy, advanced materials, and sustainable technologies. Bakar Labs is central to the university’s efforts to enable solutions to one of society’s most vexing challenges and opportunities: the global transition to advanced energy systems.

Launched by UC Berkeley in 2022, Bakar Labs has already made a significant economic impact since its biotech incubator, on the south side of campus, opened its doors. Bakar Bio Labs recently welcomed its 50th tenant company, and, all together, its tenants have raised more than $780 million and created more than 450 jobs in the Bay Area. Along with partner QB3, Bakar Bio Labs already houses seven companies in the pilot program for Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials.

David Schaffer holding microphone giving speech at site of building groundbreaking — Director David Schaffer spoke at the groundbreaking. “It’s incredible that we have the capacity to take matters into our own hands.”

Schaffer emphasized that the new building’s proximity to UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will give startups access to world-class research facilities: equipment normally available only to academic users. “These companies—which can come from Berkeley, elsewhere in California, or across the globe—can access state-of-the-art space as well as campus equipment instead of spending their precious cash buying it on their own,” he said.

His comment reflected a broader theme that shaped the day’s celebration: connection and shared resources, not only for future tenants, but among the many teams bringing the building itself to life. Managing an architectural journey of this magnitude means orchestrating the moving parts in sync. At the center of the action is James Gronek, Project Manager at A² Project Solutions. “Having coordinated this process from conception, I’ve found it incredibly rewarding to bring together scientists, architects, and builders to realize the vision,” he said.

“It’s all about trying to make a positive impact on the planet,” said Hao Ko, principal at Gensler, the architecture firm that designed the building. “We realized we can’t work in silos, whether as a university or as companies. We all have to work as a collective.”

That call for collective action also takes shape in the building’s sustainable design. “We’re incorporating low-carbon materials and clean-energy technologies from the ground up,” said Brett Stuckey, regional sustainability manager for Turner Construction. One remarkable feature is an extended sheet of transparent solar cells that wraps over the eastern portion of the south facade, bringing natural light into the upper floors, while at the same time generating power. The building’s frame and walls will be constructed of steel and concrete specially designed to reduce embodied carbon. The use of all-electric air-conditioning systems which incorporate energy recovery from the lab exhaust air; a heat-pump domestic hot water system with environmentally-friendly CO2 refrigerant; and high-performance glazing coupled with passive shading devices all exemplify the project’s commitment to sustainable and resilient design.

These energy-conscious decisions point back to creating something that lasts in more ways than one. Before the ceremony began, Schaffer reflected on what that means for Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials—and for the planet it hopes to improve.

He noted that while national attention toward sustainability has ebbed, momentum for Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials shows the power of taking initiative locally. “It’s incredible that we have the capacity to take matters into our own hands and for this building to have a positive impact on the country and the world,” Schaffer said.