Department of Architecture

The Department of Architecture’s mission builds upon our 100-year legacy as an incubator of architectural activism and innovative creative practice and commitment to a humanistic vision of architecture. We seek to educate future leaders who focus on the positive transformation of the built environment informed by intersecting knowledge bases in the humanities, technology, and design. We stress understanding architecture from diverse historical, theoretical, and social perspectives; designing sustainable environments and healthy building systems; advancing technologies of fabrication and material development; and encouraging originality and invention in design and representation.

Spacing: medium

#1 Public University in the U.S. for Architecture

— 2026 QS World University Rankings

Explore Bauer Wurster Hall

Degrees + Admissions

Yasmin Vobis professor of architecture teaching

Faculty

Courses

At UC Berkeley, we foreground architecture as an instrument of change across our undergraduate, professional, and graduate degree programs. Rather than embrace a single conception of architecture, we welcome and value distinct views that broaden each of our own horizons through respectful debate. Our three broad areas of expertise — Design; History, Theory, and Society; Building Science, Technology, and Sustainability — provide the necessary grounding and in-depth knowledge for unconventional, exploratory, and nuanced approaches to transforming our built environment.

Lisa Iwamoto

Chair and Professor of Architecture; David K. Woo Chair in Environmental Design

Master of Architecture

Master of Advanced Architectural Design

Trace | Undergraduate Student Journal

Room 1000 | Graduate Student Journal

Fabrication + Materials

Two students posing at a table with a sign reading CASA

Student Organizations

Two people sit at a table between tall bookshelves in a library, one with a laptop and the other looking at a notebook.

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN LIBRARY

Learn More

Display of architectural rawings and models

About the department

College of Environmental Design building, Bauer Wurster Hall, at night

About the College of Environmental Design

About UC Berkeley

NEWS

Jun 22, 2026

Inside the “concrete battery”: CED researcher Stefano Schiavon exposes lethal heat in Florida prisons

A study by Professor of Architecture and Civil and Environmental Engineering Stefano Schiavon found that temperatures inside a Miami-area prison routinely reach dangerous levels for extended periods. His report is central to a lawsuit claiming that excessive heat in the prison complex violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Schiavon’s report for the FJI lawsuit is part of a larger effort to protect marginalized populations as weather across the globe becomes more extreme.

Drawings of CED alums from left clockwise Stanley Saitowitz, Lyndon Neri, Thomas Robinson, Hao Ko, Rossana Hu, Walter Hood.

Jun 11, 2026

California Magazine spotlights CED alums

California Magazine highlights the achievements of six of our alums in its summer issue: Thomas Robinson (BA Architecture 1991), Professor Emeritus Stanley Saitowitz (MArch 1977) , Hao Ko (BA Architecture 1994), Professor Emeritus Walter Hood (MArch + MLA 1989), Rossana Hu (BA Architecture 1990), and Lyndon Neri (BA Architecture 1987).

Tania Lopez Photo by Diego Nicolas Moran

May 14, 2026

Architecture student Tania Lopez on finding her Oaxacan community at Berkeley | Berkeley News

Architecture student Tania Lopez, who grew up in an Indigenous Oaxacan household in Los Angeles, reflects on ballet folklórico’s role in her life and her goal to design public spaces that foster safety and connection.

2026 Distinguished Alums Alma Du Solier, Gregg W. Perloff, Lyndon Neri, and Rossana Hu

Apr 28, 2026

CED recognizes four outstanding alums during 2026 commencement

Four alums will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award at CED’s 2026 Commencement ceremony on May 19 at the Greek Theatre. This year’s awardees are Alma Du Solier (MLA 1999), Rossana Hu, Hon. FAIA (BA Architecture 1990), Lyndon Neri, Hon. FAIA (BA Architecture 1987), and Greg W. Perloff (MCP 1976).

Apr 28, 2026

UC Berkeley once again ranked #1 public university in the U.S. for architecture and the built environment

UC Berkeley’s continued dominance as the #1 public architecture program in the U.S. is a validation of CED’s belief that excellence does not have to be exclusive, and that rigorous academic research, broadly shared, can empower communities to enact change.

Donlyn Lyndon )1936–2026), Professor Emeritus of Architecture

Apr 15, 2026

In memoriam: Professor Emeritus Donlyn Lyndon (1936–2026), architect best known for work at The Sea Ranch

The College of Environmental Design remembers Professor Emeritus of Architecture Donlyn Lyndon, FAIA, a thoughtful and generous teacher and last surviving member of the original design team of The Sea Ranch. In his work there, as well as in his other projects, writings, and teaching, Lyndon was interested in how buildings interact with a particular site to create and sustain a sense of place, resonant with history, memory, and meaning.

Feb 24, 2026

CED alums elevated to 2026 class of the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows

We are proud that three graduates of the Department of Architecture were elevated this year to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. Congratulations to Rossana Hu (BA 1990), Hon. FAIA; Mary Ruppenthal (MArch 1999), FAIA; and Bryan Young (BA 1997), FAIA.

Brightly lit kitchen with slanted roof and island made of Heath ceramic tiles in Studio City renovated home designed by First Office, Andrew Atwood, Photo Eric Staudenmaier

Feb 10, 2026

A Studio City home by Andrew Atwood/First Office focuses on natural light | New York Times

The New York Times features a down-to-the-studs house renovation and addition designed by Associate Professor of Architecture Andrew Atwood’s First Office.

Feb 9, 2026

Stefano Schiavon appointed inaugural associate dean for research and design at CED

William W. Wurster Dean Renee Y. Chow has appointed Professor of Architecture and Civil & Environmental Engineering Stefano Schiavon to serve as the College of Environmental Design’s first associate dean for research and design. In this role, Schiavon will provide strategic guidance to the dean in all areas of research with the goal of boosting the college’s production of scholarship and design across disciplines.

Building of intersecting triangular volumes sheathed in tessellated stainless steel designed by IwamotoScott

Feb 5, 2026

“Constructing an eco-oriented future”: IwamotoScott’s Chengdu Pavilion featured in The Architect’s Newspaper

The Architect’s Newspaper says that the Chengdu Pavilion, a building in China’s Sichuan Province designed by Chair of Architecture Lisa Iwamoto’s firm IwamotoScott, “represents a trajectory toward environmentally adaptive architecture in anticipation of the context taking shape around it.”

ALL NEWS + EVENTS

Recent Awards

Ultramoderne (Aaron Forrest and Yasmin Vobis) received the 2026 Arts and Letters Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which recognizes American architects whose work is characterized by a strong personal direction.

Building Science, Technology and Sustainability (BSTS) PhD student Jiwon Park received a Best Paper Award at IAQVEC 2026 (International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings) for “A simulation study on condensation risk in radiant cooling panels with elevated air movement.”

Studio Work

ARCH 11A

ARCH 11B

ARCH 100A

Student Work

Scene of commencement with students processing into theater

Careers + Opportunities

CED alums John Cary, Sujata Srivastav, Lee Ehmke

Meet CED Alums