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Home > About > Facilities > Facility reservations

Facility reservations

Listed below are areas that may be reserved through the Berkeley Engineering facility reservation system. 

The College of Engineering has added outdoor areas to the traditional list of indoor reservable spaces within its purview. These new outdoor areas may be reserved by College of Engineering faculty members for research group meetings and other university-related activities.

All participants using any of these facilities must comply with campus and public health policies, including face-covering requirements. Details are available on the UC Berkeley COVID-19 resources website.

Contact

College of Engineering Facilities Office
205 McLaughlin Hall # 1700
College of Engineering
Berkeley, CA 94720-1700
coe-facilities@berkeley.edu
Fax: (510) 642-7654

Hours: M-F 8 a.m.–noon and 1–4 p.m.

  • Event spaces
  • Outdoor meeting spaces
Sibley Auditorium

Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Engineering Center

Capacity: 227 seats, 5 ADA
No food or drinks
Fee: $125 per hour; two hour minimum
Equipment: computer projector, lapel microphone, handheld microphone

Trefethen Terrace

Bechtel Engineering Center Terrace

Capacity: 80 seated, 150 standing
Fee: $75 per hour; two hour minimum
Equipment: none on site

Garbarini Lounge

Garbarini Lounge, Bechtel Engineering Center

Capacity: 75 seated, 100 standing
Fee: $75 per hour; two hour minimum
Equipment: none on site, modular furniture

290 Hearst classroom

Banatao Room, 290 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Capacity: 78 seated
Fee: $50 per hour; two hour minimum
Equipment: computer projector, modular furniture

Moore Lobby in HMMB atrium

Moore Lobby, Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Capacity: 120 seated, 300 standing
Not available weekdays when classes are in session
Fee: $125 per hour; two hour minimum
Equipment: none on site

Hearst Mining Circle

Hearst Mining Circle

Capacity: TBD
Fee: none
Equipment: none on site

Picnic tables on West Plaza alongside O'Brien breezeway and McLaughlin Hall

West Plaza

Capacity: 75 seated, 200 standing
Fee: $75 per hour; two hour minimum
Equipment: none on site

Picnic tables on McLaughlin Plaza

McLaughlin Hall East Patio

Capacity: 30 seated, 60 standing
Fee: none
Equipment: none on site

Facilities maintained by the College of Engineering dean’s office can be reserved Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.

Use is not permitted during holidays and campus closures. Check Berkeley’s academic calendar for more information. Weekend use will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  Weekend requests must be sent in writing to coe-facilities@berkeley.edu.

Creating a reservation

  • Use the COE online reservation system to browse available facilities and request a reservation.
  • It is not possible to place a hold on a room, other than by booking it.
  • In your contracted hours, include sufficient time for setup and cleanup. Typically, this means one hour prior to and one hour after the event.
  • Access to the reserved facility will not be permitted until the time for which it is contracted.
  • Room reservations cannot be accepted less than five business days prior to the event date. Reservations may be made up to one year in advance of the event.

Payment

  • Payment is accepted only with a campus chartstring. No cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted.
  • A chartstring is a mandatory requirement for all reservation requests and will be used for cancellations, damages and any services that may accrue from use of the facilities.
  • Reservations are confirmed and guaranteed only upon receipt of all applicable permits. Confirmation of all required services must be uploaded to your reservation request or emailed to coe-facilities@berkeley.edu no less than five business days before the date of your reservation.

Cancellation

  • Cancellations may be made to your reservation request online or you may email your cancellation to coe-facilities@berkeley.edu.
  • Cancellations made within three business days of the event date are subject to a fee of $50, which will be recharged to the chartstring provided.
  • COE Facilities reserves the right to cancel any reservation that has not submitted all required permits.

Special AV Services

  • Special AV service includes technical assistance and services such as recording or live video streaming.
  • Special AV services should be arranged through COE Facilities. You will be contacted by the AV technician who will provide you with an estimate for services based on your needs.
  • Special AV service requests will not be accepted less than ten business days prior to the event date.
  • In addition to the AV technician’s estimate, there is an equipment use fee of $150. The equipment use fee will be charged directly to the chartstring provided on your reservation request. (The equipment use fee is not charged if you elect to use the self-service AV equipment in the room.)
  • Alternately, AV support may be ordered through campus Educational Technology Services.

To ensure appropriate academic and professional content, all events and meetings must be sponsored and organized by College of Engineering (COE) offices, departments or research units. Our facilities are also made available to other campus departments for appropriate academic and professional activities.

These facilities are not available for booking by the general public.

User responsibilities

  • Users agree to abide by the University of California policy on conduct in UC buildings and grounds.
  • The department or organization using College of Engineering facilities takes responsibility for enforcing UC Berkeley’s alcohol use policy (PDF) and tobacco-free policy.
  • Users are responsible for returning the facility to its normal condition at the conclusion of the event.
  • Users are responsible for making sure all trash is deposited in waste containers and that all equipment and supplies from the event are removed.
  • If extraordinary cleaning or repair is deemed necessary, additional vendor fees will be recharged to the chartstring provided by the event organizer. This includes fees to re-set any moved furniture.
  • The organizer is financially responsible for any damage to the building, equipment or furnishings caused by persons attending the event.
  • The College of Engineering is not responsible for items left on the premises by the organizer or guests.

Setting up

  • Special requests such as additional furniture must be pre-approved by the COE facilities office. If additional furniture or assistance with set-up/takedown is required, contact Special Event Services.
  • No signs, banners, posters or decorations may be nailed or tacked in any way to interior walls.
  • Materials may be posted using blue painter’s tape only — no scotch tape, masking tape, packing tape, etc.
  • Banners may be draped on a table or affixed to a podium with blue painter’s tape.
  • All interior and exterior signs must be removed at the end of the event.

Food service

  • A list of COE-approved suppliers can be found when booking a room through the online reservation system, or through America To Go catering on BearBuy.
  • A food permit from Environment, Health & Safety is required for events open to the public or if admission is being charged. If your event is by invitation, a food permit is not required.
  • If you plan to barbecue or have any type of open flame, you must obtain an open-flame cooking permit from Environment, Health & Safety.
  • Electrical catering equipment, such as hot beverage dispensers, soup kettles, etc., is not permitted in Bechtel Garbarini Lounge.

Proof of insurance

  • Suppliers not on the approved caterer list or who are not part of BearBuy America To Go must provide proof of insurance.
  • If the organizer books a caterer, florist, musician or other supplier who will be on campus providing services for the event, the supplier must provide proof of insurance.
  • Suppliers should visit Berkeley Risk Services to review guidelines for insurance certificates.
  • Vendors who do not already have a certificate of insurance can obtain more information through Berkeley Risk Services.
  • Completed certificates of insurance must be emailed to coe-facilities@berkeley.edu.

Certificate of Insurance requirements

  • At least $1,000,000 worth of coverage
  • Individual or Company name must be listed on the policy as Insured
  • The REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA must be listed as “additional insured”
  • The certificate must list the INSURER’S name and contact information
  • The policy start and end date must be valid and listed on the certificate
  • Auto Liability Insurance with at least  $1,000,000 worth of coverage – if a representative will be driving on University property
  • Proof of Worker’s Compensation if a company employee will be working on University property.

Alcohol

  • Be sure to review the Campus Alcoholic Beverage Policy (PDF).
  • The organizer must complete an Alcohol Permit Request Form from the UC Police Department.
  • The application must be approved by the sponsor, the COE facilities manager and UCPD.
  • A copy of UCPD’s final approval must be uploaded to your reservation request or emailed to coe-facilities@berkeley.edu.
  • Undergraduate student groups cannot obtain alcohol permits for campus events.

Security services

  • If your event is on a weekend or outside normal building hours, you must arrange for a UCPD Security Patrol Officer (SPO) to be present for the after-hours period of the event.
  • An approved Special Event and Security Assessment form must be uploaded to your reservation or emailed to coe-facilities@berkeley.edu no later than 10 working days prior to the event date.

Custodial service

  • Events with more than 25 attendees, as well as events that involve catering or other food service, require Facilities Services for cleaning and waste management. These services will be ordered by COE Facilities and you will receive a work order confirmation prior to your event.
  • Campus Facilities Services will charge all fees directly to the chartstring provided on the reservation request.
  • Cleaning fees can be obtained from Facilities Services after the event.
  • Users may not assume personal responsibility for cleaning.
  • Information about zero waste events, including participating caterers, can be found on the Cal Zero Waste website.

Disclaimers

  • The COE facilities office may, at its sole discretion, place additional requirements on your reservation, such as extra security for high-profile guests.
  • All reservations are subject to cancellation by the College of Engineering dean’s office.
  • The COE facilities office reserves the right to refuse future reservations to departments or organizations that do not comply with these policies.

Only Blue & Gold Certified Student Organizations can reserve CoE facilities.

A UCPD Special Event and Security Assessment is required under either of the following conditions:

  • You are a student group and your event takes place after normal building hours or on a weekend.
  • You are a graduate student group and would like to serve alcohol at your event . (Undergraduate student groups cannot obtain alcohol permits for a campus event.)

Submit the assessment form to UCPD no later than 6 weeks before the event.

Visit these links to view and reserve additional space in the College of Engineering:

  • Blum Hall
  • Cory Hall
  • Etcheverry Hall
  • Soda Hall
  • Stanley Hall
  • Sutardja Dai Hall

All outdoor meeting spaces have no A/V equipment installed (beyond AirBears2 WiFi access), and do not require a fee for use.

Bechtel courtyard

Bechtel Courtyard

Capacity: 8 seated

Bechtel Terrace, looking east to HMMB

Bechtel Terrace

Capacity: Two sections, 12 seated in each section

Blum lower seating area

Blum Hall lower seating area

Capacity: 8 seated

Upper Blum Plaza

Blum Hall upper seating area

Capacity: 12 seated

Picnic tables on Etcheverry Hall plaza

Etcheverry Hall Plaza

Capacity: 12 seated

Picnic tables on McLaughlin Plaza

McLaughlin Hall East Patio

Capacity: 8 seated

West Plaza

West Plaza North

Capacity: 12 seated

West Plaza

West Plaza South

Capacity: 12 seated

  • Use the COE online reservation system to browse available spaces and request a reservation. The reservation confirmation message will include the combination codes for you to access cleaning supplies stored in lock boxes at each outdoor meeting area.
  • Spaces may only be reserved seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in consideration of staff work hours.
  • Cancellations if needed should be made in a timely manner, so that the space can be made available to other faculty colleagues.
  • Use is not permitted during holidays and campus closures. Check Berkeley’s academic calendar for more information.

  • Individuals must complete the campus Symptom Screener survey in advance of outdoor space usage.   
  • The College of Engineering provides appropriate sanitizing solutions and/or disinfectant wipes for each outdoor meeting space, so that meeting participants may wipe down all furniture (table and seating) surfaces before and after each meeting.
  • Outdoor meetings should not be held if any of the following weather conditions apply:
    • Air Quality Index is greater than 150
    • Temperature is above 100°F or below 60°F
    • There is precipitation or winds in excess of 20 miles per hour

Any issues with an outdoor seating area should be reported to coe-facilities@berkeley.edu.

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