Interactive Resources, Inc. is proud to announce that UC Berkeley’s Campus High Voltage Switch Station 8 rehabilitation project has received an AIA East Bay Design Award for Adaptive Reuse. The recognition celebrates the transformation of a historic campus landmark into essential infrastructure supporting the University’s clean energy future.
Designed by John Galen Howard and constructed in 1904 as the campus powerhouse, the building later served as an art gallery before remaining largely unused for decades. Its rehabilitation returns the structure to an energy-related purpose, connecting Berkeley’s architectural heritage with the goal of an electrified campus.
As architect and structural engineer, Interactive Resources addressed a complex challenge: integrating modern electrical infrastructure into a historic building, preserving its architectural character, and strengthening its seismic resilience. The rehabilitation restored exterior masonry, clay roof tiles, roof-monitor skylights, wood doors, windows, copper flashing, and gutters. Distinctive WPA-era mosaic murals were protected and carefully restored, preserving an important part of the building’s artistic legacy. Modest decorative lighting was added to highlight these features in the dusk and evening hours. A comprehensive seismic upgrade incorporated reinforced shotcrete walls, interior steel truss diaphragm, and foundation stabilization. Carefully coordinated waterproofing measures protect both the historic structure and the sensitive electrical equipment within.
Completed in June 2025, the 5,065-square-foot facility provides essential electrical switching capacity for UC Berkeley’s Clean Energy Campus initiative. Adapting the existing building also conserved historic materials, preserved original craftsmanship, and extended the useful life of a significant campus resource.
Switch Station 8 demonstrates how historic preservation, structural engineering, and infrastructure modernization can work together to support a university’s evolving needs. More than a century after its construction, the former powerhouse is once again helping power UC Berkeley’s future.
We thank UC Berkeley and our fellow project team members—including the consultants, contractors, and restoration specialists, whose collaboration made this transformation possible.