UC Riverside’s newest — and largest — research building has won an award for its design from a national construction industry group.

The Multidisciplinary Research Building, or MRB, won the Design Excellence Award from the Design Build Institute of America Western Region. The award was presented at the group’s regional conference last week.

According to Campus Architect Jacqueline Norman, the honor recognizes projects that achieve “an owner’s overall aesthetic and functional vision through outstanding design.” 

The 179,000-square-foot building, located on 2 acres near the intersection of Aberdeen and North Campus drives, was completed in January following three-and-a-half years of construction.

The building, which features large, open laboratory bays, was designed so research teams from different fields of science can share lab space and work collaboratively.

The award honors UC Riverside and its design-build team of SmithGroup, the architectural firm, and Hensel Phelps, the general contractor.