Details have been revealed on the design of the $2 billion Berkeley Space Center at the NASA Research Park in the Bay Area of California. A joint venture between SKS Partners and UC Berkeley, in collaboration with HOK and Field Operations, the 36-acre hub will be dedicated to “identifying, incubating, and launching technological breakthroughs across a diverse set of fields including astronautics, quantum computing, climate studies, and the social sciences.”

Located within NASA’s Ames Research Center, the development will include 1.4 million square feet of office and R&D space, including wet and dry labs, as well as conference space, academic facilities, and retail amenities. 18 acres of open space are planned, including outdoor working spaces and a central green area.

Among the environmental features to be incorporated in the scheme are low-carbon energy sources such as photovoltaic panels for power generation and the on-site treatment and retention of water. Both the buildings and landscape will make use of recycled water, while the majority of on-site waste will be intercepted.

“Similar to how innovations in aerospace research pushed the physical boundaries of where humans can go, Berkeley Space Center aspires to establish new standards for how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated to minimize the carbon impact,” said Dan Kingsley, co-founder and managing partner of SKS Partners in a statement.

Video courtesy: HOK/YouTube

News of the scheme comes weeks after California’s high-speed rail project received $202 million in federal funding, while in August, the state also became the first in the United States to mandate embodied carbon reduction measures. In July, meanwhile, the California Space Center began construction on the Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibition facility, designed by ZGF.