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How to Preserve an Art Deco Sawtooth Roof While Delivering Color-Correct Light for Acclaimed Art
When architects Diller, Scofidio + Renfro broke ground on the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives’ (BAM/PFA) $112 million expansion and renovation, they faced a unique challenge: merge a 48,000-square-foot Art Deco–style building (formerly UC Berkeley’s printing plant) with a 35,000-square-foot new structure while preserving the distinctive north-facing sawtooth roof. The building was designed to make “an aesthetic statement of its own” while showcasing acclaimed art and film exhibits—which meant precision daylighting was essential.
According to BAM/PFA’s Founding Director Pete Selz, the building needed to balance architectural statement with functional excellence. For art galleries, that means delivering full-spectrum, color-correct light without glare or contrast—a challenge that requires custom engineering when working with a preserved historic sawtooth roof.
❌ The Art Gallery Daylighting Paradox
This project presented unique constraints for museum-quality daylighting:
- Preserved Historic Sawtooth Roof: The distinctive north-facing Art Deco sawtooth roof had to be preserved, creating complex daylighting geometry that couldn’t be altered.
- Color-Correct Light Required: With acclaimed art on display, precision was needed to achieve perfect delivery and quality of daylight. Art must be viewed in full-spectrum, color-correct light.
- Zero Glare or Contrast Tolerance: Glare and contrast would ruin the viewing experience and damage the art. The gallery needed seamless, even illumination throughout the space.
- Merging Old and New: Integrating a 48,000 sq ft historic building with a 35,000 sq ft new structure while maintaining a unified aesthetic and lighting quality.
- Aesthetic Statement Requirement: The building itself needed to make “an aesthetic statement of its own” while showcasing the art—not competing with it.
✓ The Solution: Custom Solera® L Glazing with Precision Modeling
Advanced Glazings Ltd. (AGL) collaborated with Diller, Scofidio + Renfro to create custom Solera® L glazing units specifically engineered for the preserved sawtooth roof.
The Process: AGL used modeling and a toolchest of variable constructs to create custom Solera® L glazing units that meet the building’s complex requirements. This wasn’t off-the-shelf product—it was precision-engineered for this specific geometry and performance requirement.
Why Solera® L? The product was chosen for its unique and powerful ability to deliver and distribute natural light to the interior in all directions—critical for the sawtooth roof geometry.
The Result: Solera® L delivers a seamless combination of natural daylight and lumen levels throughout the gallery space without contrast and glare, enabling guests to experience the much-admired art in color-correct light.
The Proof: An Iconic Landmark for Berkeley’s Downtown Art District
Diller, Scofidio + Renfro successfully merged old and new into a dynamic state-of-the-art home for BAM/PFA’s offices, collections, and programs. The preserved Art Deco sawtooth roof now delivers museum-quality daylighting through custom-engineered Solera® L glazing.
The iconic structure is now an exciting landmark for Berkeley’s downtown art district and home to:
The Technical Achievement: Custom Solera® L glazing delivers full-spectrum daylight throughout the gallery space with:
✓ **Color-Correct Light:** Full-spectrum daylight ensures art is viewed in accurate colors
✓ **Zero Glare or Contrast:** Seamless, even illumination without harsh shadows or hotspots
✓ **Optimal Lumen Levels:** Precise light distribution in all directions from the sawtooth geometry
✓ **Preserved Heritage:** Historic Art Deco sawtooth roof maintained while delivering modern performance
Why Custom Engineering Matters for Museum Daylighting
Off-the-shelf daylighting products are designed for typical building geometries and performance requirements. Museums with historic architecture require custom engineering to achieve museum-quality results.
The AGL Approach: Using modeling and a toolchest of variable constructs, AGL created custom Solera® L glazing units that:
1. Adapt to Complex Geometry: The preserved north-facing sawtooth roof creates unique light distribution challenges that require custom solutions.
2. Deliver Precision Performance: Museum-quality daylighting requires exact control of light diffusion, transmittance, and distribution—achieved through custom engineering.
3. Balance Style with Function: The architects were able to preserve the architectural statement of the historic building while delivering functional excellence for art viewing.
Solera® insulated glass products are designed to deliver superior daylighted spaces and a wide range of thermal insulation from R2 to R25. The product lines are engineered to be highly configurable, allowing control of light diffusion and transmittance, control of solar gain, thermal insulation, sound transmittance, aesthetics, safety and more. Services include illumination, lighting and daylighting analysis, glare/contrast and thermal modeling.
The Takeaway: Preservation Doesn’t Mean Compromise
For $112 million museum expansions with preserved historic architecture, off-the-shelf solutions won’t deliver museum-quality results. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives proves that with custom-engineered daylighting and precision modeling, you can preserve distinctive architectural features (like Art Deco sawtooth roofs) while delivering color-correct, glare-free light for acclaimed art.
When architects can balance style with function—preserving heritage while enabling modern performance—the result is an iconic landmark that makes an aesthetic statement of its own while showcasing the art in perfect light.