UCLA Research Park environmental study reveals timeline and details

UCLA has released an environmental study for its new Research Park, transforming the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall in Los Angeles into a hub for immunology and quantum engineering. The project, acquired in 2024, is designed by Flad Architects with landscape architecture by OJB. Dubbed "the hive," the 700,000-square-foot campus comprises East and West buildings bisected by Westwood Boulevard, connected by a pedestrian walkway. Renovations focus on interior seismic retrofitting, including mechanical systems, steel framing, and welded beam-to-column connections, with the subterranean parking lot repurposed into usable space. The West building will undergo recladding and reglazing. Sustainability targets LEED BD+C Gold certification; rooftop parking will be replaced with solar panels and potential landscaped areas. Stormwater collection tanks will be installed, supplementing an existing 131,600-gallon tank in the East building, for irrigation. Tenants include the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy (CIII), the UCLA Quantum Innovation Hub (QIH), and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM), along with non-UCLA partners. The project spans five phases from 2026 to 2035, with first sections opening in late 2027. The state of California has invested $500 million, with an additional $150 million raised in donations. UCLA noted some facilities may be "eye-wateringly pricey." The Research Park East lobby and QIH are slated to open in late 2027.