West Terrace Canopy Moffitt Library, UC Berkeley Moffitt Library’s Free Speech Café is a popular eatery on the UC Berkeley campus. It had a large terrace, but with no real seating and no protection from the elements, this outdoor space went largely unused while the café experienced constant seating shortages indoors. Noll & Tam Architects designed a canopy that protects students from sun and rain and incorporates long benches for expanded seating options at the café. The wavy contours of the structure create a soft counterpoint to the hard-edged, rectangular concrete building. Custom steel beams are topped with a translucent insulated fiberglass and aluminum roof system, which glows at night with bright lighting designed so students can do their homework outdoors on warm evenings. Recycled redwood creates attractive and ecologically responsible benches. With its new canopy, Free Speech Café’s terrace has become one of the most popular places to hang out on campus, and one of the hardest places to find an open seat. . < Previous ProjectNext Project >