GoKawiilSOM's Grimes Engineering Center at UC Berkeley wins Fast Company design award for exposed seismic system
UC Berkeley's Grimes Engineering Center, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, has been named a winner in Fast Company's 2026 Innovation by Design Awards. The building sits near a major Bay Area fault line and features a new seismic-responsive structural system engineered to withstand strong earthquakes, with the bracing left visible rather than hidden behind walls.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Making earthquake-resistant structural systems visible turns a technical safety feature into an architectural statement, potentially influencing how universities and institutions in seismic zones design future buildings. It also signals growing interest in structural engineering as a design element worth celebrating rather than concealing, which could shift client expectations for resilient architecture.
- The Grimes Engineering Center at UC Berkeley won a 2026 Fast Company Innovation by Design Award.
- SOM designed the building with an exposed, novel seismic-responsive structural system near a major fault.
- The project highlights a trend of showcasing structural safety engineering as a visible design feature.
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-09-14
Published there as: “This building at UC Berkeley wears its earthquake prevention on the outside”
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