UC Riverside has completed construction of its newest instructional building and is gearing up to open it for classes this fall.
Contractor McCarthy Building Companies, which began construction in fall 2024, finished work on the Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Facility in late July. The company and UCR’s Office of Planning, Design and Construction are working on minor adjustments before the building opens for use in late September.
A ribbon cutting ceremony, open to the campus, will be held Oct. 13.
The four-story, 100,700-square-foot building continues UCR’s efforts to provide much-needed classroom, laboratory, and studio space. With a seating capacity of about 1,700, it includes two lecture halls, 19 mid- to small-sized classrooms, six biology labs, and four chemistry labs.
A notable feature of the new building is a 3,400-square-foot dance studio with sprung wood flooring that will increase space for instruction and performances by the Department of Dance. The studio sliding doors open to a 2,700-square-foot outdoor performance area with a covered pavilion and a composite wood surface. The pavilion is topped with solar panels that will add to the campus electrical grid.
The building design features brick, a concrete shear wall, metal grilles, and extensive clear glass. Two open glass stairwells, with views over the Amy Harrison Athletic Field and UCR Soccer Stadium, feature redlit handrails visible at night.
The layout is designed to be easily navigable and intuitive with classrooms on the north side of the building and labs on the south side of each floor.
“We’ve learned that with buildings like this that get a lot of traffic, simple is better,” said Sarah Sabera-Turab, senior project manager with Planning, Design and Construction.
Each floor includes lounge space near the entrances and stairwells where students can study or socialize while waiting for classes or labs to start.
A highlight on the third floor is a reading room decorated with five framed stained glass windows hung up on the wall. The stained glass windows were originally from a 1950s-era campus chapel, kept in storage, and were restored with new glass, framing, and backlighting.
“I think this will be a very popular space,” Sabera-Turab said.
The building is equipped with the latest technology geared specifically for different disciplines. For example, lecture halls for computer science classes include high-powered technology with electrical outlets for each seat. Biology and chemistry labs include specialized equipment such as vacuum snorkels and fume hoods. An instrument room is located between chemistry labs for students to prepare chemicals and glassware for experiments and instruction.
Other amenities include storage rooms for biology and chemical supplies, office space for academic coordinators, and a third elevator that can be locked down when transporting specialty supplies.
The building includes a lactation room and each floor includes male, female, and gender-neutral restrooms.
The outdoor plaza offers plenty of seating with benches, shaded tables, and a rock and water landscape feature. Across from the building, another outdoor plaza with benches and tables was added behind the Athletics and Dance Building where a filled-in swimming pool was previously located.
The project also knits together several pathways and adds a new ramp and walkway behind the Athletics and Dance Building that provides an easy connection to the center of campus.
