Preliminary work has begun on UC Riverside’s new instructional building complex.

The area around Parking Lot 19, south of the UCR Soccer Stadium, was fenced off in June as crews begin demolishing the asphalt surface to prepare the site for construction of the Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Facility.

The 100,700-square-foot four-story building will provide much-needed classroom space with a seating capacity of 1,700. It will include two lecture halls, 19 mid- to small-sized classrooms, six biology labs, four chemistry labs, and a dance studio.

Expected to be completed by summer 2026, construction of the $156.3 million building project will begin in September with a groundbreaking ceremony planned for October.

Before then, crews will remove the existing parking lot pavement and begin digging to lay the foundation, grade the dirt, and install utility connections, said Sarah Sabera-Turab, a senior project manager with Planning, Design, and Construction.

Part of the fencing has extended to the pedestrian path to the north of the site but the walkway will remain open for most of construction. At the end of the project, some of the concrete will be replaced to make it a wheelchair accessible pathway.

Vehicles, equipment, and materials will be brought in on a temporary road next to the South Recreation Mall pathway area during construction, which will be returned to its former landscape once construction is complete.

Updates on the impacts to campus can be found at the project website.