The UC Regents on Wednesday approved a UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science request to go forward with the design for Phase II of Engineering VI, the school’s state-of-the-art research and education facility.
Engineering VI, to be constructed in two phases, will be a six-story, 150,000-square-foot anchor for innovation. It will host three federally funded centers of excellence, other research facilities, faculty offices, meeting rooms, an alumni center and a 250-seat technology and learning center. It also will be home to the engineering school’s incubator of start-up companies and applied research, the Institute for Technology Advancement.
Construction of Phase I began nearly a year ago and is scheduled to be completed in 2015. Engineering VI is located adjacent to Ackerman Union, on the site of the Engineering I building that was demolished in 2012.
At the regents’ meeting in San Francisco, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, Vice Chancellor for Budget, Finance and Capital Programs Steve Olsen and Engineering Dean Vijay K. Dhir told members of the Regents Grounds and Buildings Committee that the engineering school already has secured $27 million in cash and pledges toward its $70 million fundraising goal for Engineering VI.
Funds have come from alumni, industry partners, friends of the school and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Citing this “strong donor interest,” a staff report to the regents recommended the release of $3.15 million in gift funds already received to pay for design work on Phase II. The total cost for Phase I and Phase II of Engineering VI is estimated at $130 million.
“Open workspace with appropriate technology infrastructure is needed to meet contemporary engineering challenges at the intersection of information, nanotechnologies and biological technologies,” the report stated. “Incubation laboratory space is also needed to ensure that the advancement and commercialization of technology becomes an integral component of engineering research.”
The Regents Grounds and Building Committee recommended on Tuesday that the funding be approved and the board of regents voted to approve the funds on Wednesday.
“Engineering VI will sustain and enhance UCLA Engineering’s reputation as one of the top engineering schools in the country and as a leader in educating the engineers of the future,” said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. “We are grateful to the regents, Chancellor Block, UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor Scott Waugh, Vice Chancellor Olsen and others who see the importance of improving our facilities to better meet the challenges ahead.”
Main Image: An architectural rendering of Engineering VI.