The sixth collaboration between bay area residential and commercial architecture firm DNM Architecture and L.A.-based Tripalink brings 13,000 square feet of residential living space to the Berkeley, CA  area.  Working from an original design by Fiftharch, DNM is the architect-of-record for a 12 unit project comprised of two 6 story towers joined by steel bridges at each level and sharing exits and an elevator. 

The innovative two-tower concept from Fiftharch reduces the building’s mass on its small 40×130 foot urban infill site. Construction is in wood over concrete first story in a “podium” type of construction, typical for residential midrise buildings. The facades are a playful composition of white, grey and red fiber cement panels and glass laced together with steel bridges and stairs, and the building is capped by a large landscaped roof deck available to all residents.

Each unit features 4 or 5 bedrooms and is oriented towards students attending nearby UC Berkeley and includes two low-income units, taking advantage of California’s SB330 density bonuses and creating much-needed high density housing that would otherwise not be permitted using the underlying zoning rules of the residential neighborhood.

Currently in the final permitting stages, this project should break ground in summer of 2024.