UC Berkeley Memorial Stadium – Home of the Cal Bears

Berkeley, CA

UC Berkeley Memorial Stadium, home of the Cal Bears and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was opened in 1923. Its unique architecture, the stadium’s position at the foot of the Berkeley hills, panoramic views of San Francisco Bay (top-level seats), and views of the Berkeley Hills and Strawberry Canyon (Westside seats), has earned it a reputation as one of the most scenic venues in college football. However, The Hayward Fault passes directly under the playing field of Memorial Stadium (nearly from goal post to goal post). A 1998 seismic safety study on the California campus gave the stadium a “poor” rating. Because of the history and of the site, the university decided that a retrofit and renovation would be the best scenario for the California football program.

EPD was a part of that retrofit installing segmental pavers at the entrances and terraces on sand setting beds. Segmental and interlocking paving stones provide flexibility and were a perfect solution for this project due to the constant traffic and inherent challenges of the site. Changes in use patterns on the property, infrastructure upgrades, settling and shifting, all have a continuing effect on the Stadium installation. EPD has worked closely with the University Facilities Group over the years to maintain the quality of the installation related to these specific challenges.

Go Bears!