UCLA leaders and prominent alumni gathered today to celebrate the new jewel of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, Engineering VI. The state-of-the-art center for engineering research and education is located in the heart of campus, immediately south of Ackerman Union.
Vijay K. Dhir, dean of the school, led a group of supporters who cut the ribbon on the first phase of the building, its north wing, and dug shovels into the nearby dirt to launch construction of the second and final phase. The 60,000-square-foot north wing is expected to be occupied by May after being outfitted with research equipment and furniture. The 90,000-square-foot second phase is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2017.
Dhir said Engineering VI is “a building that the entire UCLA community can take great pride in, and it will be an anchor for innovation for decades to come.”
The building will house labs for research into renewable energy sources, next-generation semiconductors, nanotechnology, and new materials for healthcare and other applications, as well as the B. John Garrick Institute for the Risk Sciences, and a technology-enabled 250-seat learning center. It will be home to the UCLA computer science department and the engineering school’s start-up incubator, the Institute for Technology Advancement.
Engineering VI was designed with advanced water- and energy-efficiency systems, and the school is seeking LEED Gold or LEED Platinum certification.
The $130 million building is being funded by donors, the engineering school and the UCLA campus. Donors have pledged or given $45 million for the building so far, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology made a $6 million grant.
