New Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building at University of California, Irvine

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.

UC Irvine

Inspired by the university’s commitment to interdisciplinary science and engineering research and its 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. The six-story, 204,750-gross-square-foot facility will set a new standard for the future of research programs at UCI. Every aspect of the building’s design is conceived to optimize research functionality, foster social performance, and enrich the overall campus experience.

Each façade 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. The project is targeting LEED Platinum certification.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Compton High School

    Compton High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Compton High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • A digital silhouette works at a computer, immersed in a glowing, interconnected world

    How Will AI Transform Learning Space Design?

    For years, higher education has designed learning spaces around technology as a tool for display, capture, collaboration, and connectivity. AI changes that equation.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.