PIMD News Archive

Work is well underway on the Collaboration Commons, Berkeley Lab’s new Welcome Center and Cafeteria (part of the Seismic Safety & Modernization project). As of March 2026, the site is buzzing with activity as the facility moves closer to its 2027 completion. Current milestones include progress on interior and exterior framing, drywall installation, and essential […]

Strawberry Gate is back! As one of Berkeley Lab’s three primary access points, the gate has officially reopened to the community following significant upgrades. To see what’s changed, check out the video below. You’ll hear from Michael Brandt, Deputy Lab Director for Operations, and Blair Edwards, Department Head of Site Security, as they discuss how […]

The Collaboration Commons construction team has achieved a remarkable milestone: 100,000 safe work hours. With 60 to 70 people working on site daily, this achievement underscores the Lab’s contractor, Overaa Construction’s, dedication to worker safety.  Achieving this 100,000 safe work hours milestone proves that exceptional safety standards can be achieved without compromising progress as we build a […]

Have you noticed the utility inspection activity occuring across our hill site? The Linear Assets Modernization Project (LAMP) has begun preliminary investigations of our underground utilities as part of a comprehensive upgrade of our Lab infrastructure. Join Martin Johnson, Project Manager in the Projects & Infrastructure Modernization Division, as he explains how LAMP will modernize our […]

The Linear Assets Modernization Project (LAMP) will begin preliminary site investigations of underground utilities this spring. The project will modernize our utility systems to meet growing power demands, ensuring we can support advanced scientific computing capabilities across the Lab.

The Lab’s Collaboration Commons is taking shape. The structural steel is in place and undergoing welding through March. Concrete is also being poured this month. You can check on the progress through the live web camera. 

    Blackberry Gate will be closed on eight Saturdays from 6 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. beginning Feb. 15 for wildfire mitigation work which includes the removal of hazardous trees. The project includes clearing dead, dying, or otherwise hazardous trees in the area of Blackberry Gate. The gate closure is needed so the work […]

The Lab celebrated a major milestone for the new Collaboration Commons building on Friday, Jan. 24 with a traditional topping out ceremony marking the placement of the final beam. The historic moment was captured from multiple angles, including aerial drone footage flown by Thor Swift and a beam’s-eye view from an attached GoPro camera. There […]

To celebrate the installation of the final structural beam for Collaboration Commons, all Lab employees and affiliates are invited to sign the beam starting Tuesday, Jan. 14 through Sunday, Jan. 19. Those who cannot sign in person can add their name to a virtual list to be included.