Local News in Brief : UCI Engineers School to Start on New Center

Ground breaking will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday for the Engineering Center at the UC Irvine School of Engineering.

The complex will be built between the present Engineering Building and the University Club. The structure will include a three-story, 11,000-square-foot center and an attached, 110-seat auditorium, both designed by Frank Gehry & Associates architects.

The center will be the headquarters for the school of engineering and house most of its administrative offices and conference rooms, as well as seven laboratories.

“The increased space provided by the center will be an extremely important resource as we continue in our goal to become one of the top engineering schools in the country,” said William Sirignano, dean of engineering.