Clarification: The original headline was unclear. The demolition of the Engineering 1A building began on Aug. 22 and is not yet complete.
A wrecking ball began knocking down parts of the Engineering 1A building Aug. 22, ending six decades of history for the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and paving the way for what officials say will be a more modernized facility.
Built in 1950, Engineering 1A was the very first building made for UCLA’s school of engineering, said Vijay Dhir, dean of the school of engineering.
Stanley Dong is a civil and environmental engineering professor who worked in Engineering IA for three years during the early 1990s. He recalled inconveniences associated with the building, including electricity being shut off periodically by the machine shop the floor below.
He never had major complaints, though.
“Even though it was run-down, it satisfied all my needs,” Dong said.
The building has been used as a classroom space over the years and served as a research site for professors from various departments, including electrical and chemical engineering. By the time the demolition began, Engineering 1A mainly housed research, Dhir said.
The building’s antiquity has made this work increasingly challenging, however, Dhir said.
“The building did not have the facilities … to do cutting-edge research,” Dhir said. “We were putting in quite a few resources to bring it up to level, but it was not satisfactory to faculty.”
Because it was built six decades ago, the building also did not conform to modern building codes, potentially making it seismically unsafe, Dhir said.
Engineering 1A also lacked a central air conditioning system, which made working in the labs and machine shop uncomfortable, said Jane Chang, an associate dean of the school of engineering.
Demolition began over the summer to minimize the impact on students and research during the school year, Chang said.
On Aug. 22, groups of sightseers gathered to watch as a wrecking ball swung into the building, exposing pillars and chunks of concrete.
Vincent Heng, a third-year chemical engineering student, viewed the demolition along with a friend on the bridge between Engineering IV and V.
“I had discussion in Engineering 1(A), and I didn’t like it,” Heng said. “It’s not that nice of a building. I’m glad to see it go.”
Construction on Engineering VI, the structure to replace the Engineering 1A building, will begin late next spring. The new facility will contain a vibration- and electromagnetic radiation-free laboratory and a center for technology advancement and commercialization, Chang said.
After working in Engineering 1A for more than 25 years, Kang Wang, an electrical engineering professor who will be moving into Engineering VI upon its completion, said he is looking forward to the facilities the new building will offer.
His research in nanostructures and semiconductors will require state-of-the-art equipment the old building did not house, he said.