Legends Are Made Here
Welcome to the Legends Aquatic Center at UC Berkeley! Anyone brave enough to jump off the top of the dive tower? It's only 3 stories tall. Yeah, me neither... I've captured photos from some pretty high places, but I'm not sure I'd be able to jump off that. I can't wait to share this project with you! So grab your goggles, pull up your speedo and let's jump in! A School of Champions University of California, Berkeley saw a need and filled it, with over 600,000 gallons of water. This 50-meter pool was designed just for the "Cal Bears" intercollegiate aquatic athletes to use.The entrance sports the Olympic rings and NCAA logo, reminding everyone walking by that champions train here.
The Architect
ELS Architecture and Urban Design has a unique connection to UC Berkeley. Their office is located just a couple of blocks off campus and they have a number of Berkeley Alumni working for them.Designing this aquatics facility was no easy feat, but as usual ELS rose to the challenge. It's the largest pool on campus and the only one that has a dive tower!
I'm thrilled that ELS chose me to capture this award winning facility!
Merging Passions: Olympian & DesignerELS even has their very own 3-time Olympic swimmer, Dana Gran [a.k.a. DIana Vollmer] working for them.She share her one-of-a-kind insight into designing better facilities for athletes. Much of her inspiration comes from the London Aquatic Center she swam at in the 2012 Olympic Games. Only an Olympian could bring this kind of vision to the table, or pool.Located on Bancroft Way at the edge of campus, this top notch facility sees constant traffic and parked cars.
This created an interesting challenge to capture the beauty of the front exterior without the obstruction of parked vehicles. Thankfully I knew exactly what to do. The cars had to go! Even though we inconvenienced a few drivers by blocking off every spot in front of the building, we got the shot we came for!
#BehindTheScenes
Due to the Bay Area fires last year, we had to unexpectedly cut the photo shoot short and reschedule. Through it all the ELS team brought great energy and patience to the shoot. I love working with these guys!
Searching Out Great Eats!
Discovering the best places to eat while I'm on location.
Right around the corner from Legends Aquatic Center is a Taiwanese restaurant called Tasty Pot. Pictured below is what I had for dinner!Known for their boiling hot pot soups, Tasty Pot knows that if you want to live well, you need to eat well. And yes, I ate very well!I highly recommend stopping by this place next time you're in Berkeley.