University of California, Berkeley West Oval Glade Bioretention Facility

The concept design for the West Oval Glade emphasizes the expression of the two primary campus systems - the Central Glade and Strawberry Creek. Programmatically, the design maximizes stormwater credit opportunities while allowing the glade to operate as a key space for informal gathering, movement, and outdoor instruction for the campus community. Its renewed identity is defined by the restored Strawberry Creek corridor, and its open, informal lawns (a defining feature of the Central Glade system) that create visual continuity by tying in with the adjacent campus landscape. 

As a primary organizing feature of the glade, the geometry of the Oval Loop path is realigned and reinforced to clarify circulation and wayfinding, prioritize universal access, and increase available space for bioretention basins to maximize credit opportunities. Building on recommendations from the campus master plan, University Drive transitions to a flush shared street with limited vehicular access, emphasizing the experience and safety to pedestrians and bicycles. 

Two new stormwater features, bioretention basins and water quality wetlands, are integrated into the West Oval to capture and treat polluted stormwater runoff before outletting back into the creek. The bioretention basins treat intercepted water from pipes to the southeast of the site by allowing stormwater to be absorbed by plants and soil media, reducing pollutant concentration, while water quality wetlands treat a proportion of dry season base flow from Strawberry Creek–providing continuous water treatment outside of storm events. 

A combination of creek restoration strategies, including re-aligning and widening the channel, create a cohesive riparian corridor that will reduce erosion, increase oxygenation and water quality, improve floodplain attenuation, and increase aesthetic and habitat value. New layers of native and adaptive planting reinforces the character of this corridor, giving it a distinct identity within the glade and improving visual access to the creek.