#1 Public University in the U.S. for Architecture + the Built Environment
“The spectrum of course offerings — from theoretical to practical, from global to local — was my favorite part of my CED education. I took classes from faculty who served as planning commissioners for the city of Berkeley and from those who are pushing the field of geography to better understand global inequality. That incredibly wide range begins to make sense when you spend time in CED and come to understand the symbiotic relationship between the college and city that surrounds it.”
— Brandon Yung, BA Urban Studies, 2022
“I chose Berkeley for its reputation for design excellence and commitment to social justice, but what I came to value most was the supportive and collaborative studio culture.”
— Al Oliva (MArch 2024)
Research and Design
Research Centers and Labs
The Terner Center for Housing Innovation’s mission is to formulation bold strategies to house families from all walks of life in vibrant, sustainable, and affordable homes and communities. Their work provides analysis and data-driven research to support policy and innovation for policymakers, practitioners, and advocates.
The Center for the Built Environment’s mission is to improve the environmental quality and energy efficiency of buildings by providing timely, unbiased information on building technologies, design and operation strategies. CBE brings together industry leaders and researchers to produce substantial, holistic, and far-sighted research on buildings.
CED faculty across departments and disciplines direct research labs that tackle a range of environmental and design issues. These labs are engines for the production of knowledge and new discoveries in the college and provide valuable research opportunities for students.
Research from the Center for Cities + Schools shows how low-wealth districts are being left behind and informs the current debate over policy reform. The National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI) is a national resource hub for modernizing school buildings and grounds.
NEWS
Daniel G. Chatman begins tenure as interim dean of the College of Environmental Design
Inside the “concrete battery”: CED researcher Stefano Schiavon exposes lethal heat in Florida prisons
Nicholas de Monchaux appointed dean of the College of Environmental Design
“Designers have to be optimists”: Dean Renee Chow charts a positive future for environmental design
CED recognizes four outstanding alums during 2026 commencement
UC Berkeley once again ranked #1 public university in the U.S. for architecture and the built environment
UC Berkeley PhD candidate Emma Lasky on the intersection of climate change, infrastructure, and public health
In memoriam: Professor Emeritus Donlyn Lyndon (1936–2026), architect best known for work at The Sea Ranch
Terner Center study showing that industrialized construction can be part of the solution to California’s housing crisis is gaining attention in Sacramento | KQED
Five CED faculty contribute to new Routledge Handbook of Urban Design Practice
“Berkeley gave us a belief we have never lost — that architecture can change lives. That the spaces we make, the cities we shape, the boundaries we draw — they matter, deeply, to the people who live inside them. That belief was formed here, in these four years at Wurster Hall.”
— Rossana Hu (BA Architecture 1990) + Lyndon Neri (BA Architecture 1987), CED Commencement Address 2026
