herzog & de meuron to rework 1960s california campus for eames museum

modernist warehouse to become design museum

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity announces plans to convert the former Birkenstock campus in Novato, California, into an art and design museum open to the public. Located just north of San Francisco, the 88.5-acre site will become a permanent home for the Institute’s expanding programming, including exhibitions, public workshops, and access to the Eames Collection.

The campus centers on a 166,000-square-foot modernist complex originally designed in the 1960s by architect John Savage Bolles for McGraw-Hill. Its most prominent feature, a saw-tooth warehouse roofline, has long served as a recognizable architectural gesture amid the region’s low hills. Herzog & de Meuron, in collaboration with San Francisco–based executive architects EHDD, is leading the redesign, which focuses on adaptive reuse and a new public program.

‘We are honored to collaborate with the Eames Institute on this Bay Area project — a region which has significantly shaped our practice through key projects including the de Young Museum in San Francisco,’ says Simon Demeuse, Partner at Herzog & de Meuron.

the Eames Institute museum will occupy a former Birkenstock campus | visualization courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

continuing a legacy

While the campus is currently closed to the public in California, the Eames Institute will open it with museum and gallery programming, makerspaces, culinary venues, and gardens. The institute‘s plan — with design led by Herzog & de Meuron and EHDD — emphasizes accessibility, economic growth, and educational engagement, with officials citing it as a key alignment with local development priorities.

‘To share my grandparents’ vision with the world is the honor of a lifetime,’ comments Llisa Demetrios, Chief Curator of the Eames Institute. ‘Ray and Charles’ boundless curiosity for solving problems through design has been at the core of the Eames Institute’s mission, and this expansion will allow us to share those gifts with our community on an even larger scale.’

The museum will house a selection of works from the Eames Collection, as well as programming inspired by the Institute’s mission to make design thinking more widely accessible. The project reflects a long-term commitment to the North Bay community and to preserving and evolving the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames, whose ethos of experimentation and utility continues to influence generations of designers.

the modernist complex was designed by John Savage Bolles in the 1960s | visualization courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

a major cultural institution in northern california

Community leaders and cultural institutions in Northern California have embraced the upcoming Eames Institute museum, citing both its symbolic and practical value to the region. The Institute’s presence is expected to catalyze investment, education, and cultural participation at a scale previously unseen in the area.

‘The Eames legacy is a cultural treasure, and the Institute’s new campus will be a platform to share this more broadly than ever before,’ adds David C. Howse, President of California College of the Arts. ‘The news is incredibly exciting — creating a destination for the public to immerse themselves in design, while providing an unparalleled learning experience for our students.’

The Eames Institute is currently working to develop a detailed programmatic and architectural plan, which will guide the next phase of transformation for the site. With Herzog & de Meuron’s conceptual framework as well as community support, the project is set to become a landmark celebrating California’s design history and its future.

Herzog and de Meuron will lead the project with EHDD as executive architects | image courtesy Eames Institute