Literally and figuratively, UC Berkeley's two most recent building projects couldn't be farther apart.

Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences is a stout, 115-foot-tall cube near the northwest corner of campus, skinned in masonry and glass beneath a stainless steel crown that hides mechanical equipment. The addition to the School of Law on the southeast edge of campus is tucked underground, out of sight except for a small dining pavilion where the roof doubles as an artfully landscaped terrace.

Each project is successful on its own terms. Neither fits smoothly into the 180-acre central campus. What they show is that smooth fits may no longer be possible - and that the smart approach from here on is to preserve the best of what survives from early decades but otherwise set out to bring life and energy to the confused terrain that now exists