The Wurster Gallery of the College of Environmental Design (CED) at the University of California, Berkeley will host a special exhibition to recognize Deborah Berke as the inaugural recipient of the Berkeley-Rupp Architecture Professorship and Prize. Designed by the architect herself, Deborah Berke Partners will reflect the designer’s New York City workspace, serve as her active office as Berkeley-Rupp Visiting Professor, and document her architecture career. The show will run from January 28- April 26.

Spanning a 30-year time line, the exhibited work of Deborah Berke and her firm aims to facilitate interactions between the process and products of Berke’s work. Beginning with a project for a Strategic Petroleum Reserve from her first post-collegiate year and ending with a private residence currently under construction, 125 frames will be hung chronologically on two of the gallery walls. Each frame encompasses a guiding principle in her work, from creating inevitable—not predictable—architecture; inventing within the ordinary; composing with rigor, not sentimentality; and striving for exceptional simplicity. Remaining space will be made of the “office” Berke has established and furnished with items of her own design, in addition to pieces from Eames and Saarinen. Books, awards, postcards, and building models will offer a more intimate view of her practice.


For more information, visit rupp.ced.berkeley.edu.