Darling Flower Shop Building
Berkeley, Calif.
Assembly

Flower shop sprouts apartments and roof garden

© Cesar Rubio

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

The Darling Flower Shop has been in business for more than 65 years at its location on University Avenue, just a few blocks from the University of California at Berkeley campus. Its owners wanted to generate more value from their property, but instead of selling the land, they sought to expand the building. The construction project included adding four new floors, containing 35 mixed-income apartments, and a 3,500-square-foot roof garden—all while maintaining a ground-floor retail store.

Structurally, the building makes use of concrete shear walls. The simplicity of the framing meant that the walls could remain free of plywood and structural posts, allowing easier installation of mechanical vents and faster framing. The shear walls also allowed for extensive glazing throughout the long sides of the building. At ground level, the storefront features large glass windows which open to allow the flower shop to remain connected with the active street life of University Avenue. Bay windows on the upper floors provide views to the water. On the building’s longer, western elevation, operable wooden shutters regulate the light and give privacy from the street. The architects selected the wood species red tauari for its durability and ability to be left untreated. Panels surrounding these bays allow free air circulation around the boards, helping protect them against rot.

To define the roof garden, the architect created a “green walls” concept using a hardy evergreen vine called Mulenbekia that climbs on wire mesh panels. The layout of these walls provides a variety of differently shaped spaces for both public gatherings and private contemplation. Built-in benches in the smaller spaces create outdoor rooms that feature views either to the East Bay Hills or to the San Francisco Bay. Panel uprights, assembled off-site, are based on a four-foot module that works with the planter layout, the deck framing, and the wire mesh panels. As the vines grow around these panels, they will be visible from the street—suggesting a new way of inhabiting city roofs.

Formal name of Project:
Darling Flower Shop Building

Location:
Berkeley, Calif.

Gross square footage:
32,310 sq. ft.

Owner:
Patrick Kennedy
Panoramic Interests
2116 Allston Way, Suite 1
Berkeley, CA 94704

Architect:
Assembly
1701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94709
Phone: 510-848-7189