Break ground on the new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building at University of California by LMN Architects

Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building
Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building
Image © LMN Architects

LMN Architects announces the groundbreaking of the new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB) serves UCI’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering, the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Science, and the School of Physical Sciences. Inspired by the University’s commitment to interdisciplinary science and engineering research and it’s potential to solve the challenges of today and the future, the building is conceived as a catalyst for research innovation as well as a new model of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building
Image © LMN Architects

The ISEB’s site design employs pedestrian-oriented spaces that connect the building into the overall fabric of campus landscape, enhancing the existing social, environmental, aesthetic and functional qualities of the campus. The L-shaped building will be organized as three distinct volumes: a “Jewel Box” glass-and-concrete tower that will provide collaboration and office space for the Principal Investigators who lead the research; a glass and precast concrete “Lab Bar” to house a variety of highly adaptable laboratories; and a transparent, glass-wrapped connector dubbed the “Community Hub,” which will connect the Jewel Box with the labs and serve as the focal point for collaborative engagement across research disciplines.

Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building
Image © LMN Architects

An outdoor courtyard on the fourth floor of the Community Hub will provide a public gathering space, bringing daylight deep through courtyards and plazas around the building. Each facade of the building responds to its specific environmental conditions, optimizing daylighting, internal comfort and energy efficiency. The building features a combination of materials that are tuned to the specific environmental conditions, including enhanced clarity low-iron glass, sculptural precast concrete panels, and metal cladding and fins. Indoor-outdoor relationships will be achieved through design strategies that capitalize on the unique, temperate climate and natural beauty of the campus.

Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building
Image © LMN Architects

The project is targeting LEED Platinum certification (specifically, LEED for New Construction v2009). The design incorporates several features that meet sustainable programs that go beyond LEED, including the Well Building Standard, UCI Smart Labs Initiative, and Labs 21 enhancements. Won through a design-build competition, the project is the fourth consecutive building on campus to be designed and delivered by LMN Architects and Hathaway Dinwiddie. Project completion is anticipated for fall 2020. Source by LMN Architects.

Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building
Image © LMN Architects
  • Location: University of California, Irvine, USA
  • Architect: LMN Architects
  • Design-Build Contractor: Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
  • Laboratory Planning and Design: Research Facilities Design
  • Structural engineer: Saiful Bouquet
  • MEP engineer: Alvine Engineering
  • Acoustics: Stantec
  • Landscape architecture: AHBE
  • Civil engineer: FPL and Associates
  • Client: University of California, Irvine
  • Year: 2018
  • Images: Courtesy of LMN Architects

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