University Archives: Major Collections - Campus Planning and Architecture

UCI opened in 1965 with only eight buildings on the new Irvine campus. William Pereira and Associates designed the buildings in the "Brutalist" style. Over the next 40 years, continuing construction increased the total to more than 170 buildings.

The University Archives holds a wide variety of materials relating to UCI campus architecture and planning. These include planning documents, photographs, environmental impact reports, correspondence, plans, proposals, handbooks, maps, and architectural drawings.

Major Topics

Use the following searches in ANTPAC to identify materials on these subjects and university offices:

Subjects

• Campus planning -- California -- Irvine
• Environmental impact statements -- California -- Irvine
• Land use -- California -- Irvine
• University of California, Irvine -- Buildings
• University of California, Irvine -- Planning
• University of California, Irvine -- Student housing
• University of California, Irvine -- Faculty -- Housing
• William L Pereira and Associates

University Offices

• University of California, Irvine. Office of Campus and Environmental Planning
• University of California, Irvine. Office of Physical Planning
• University of California, Irvine. Office of Physical Planning and Construction
• William L Pereira and Associates

Selected Printed Materials

• Designing UCI: A Symposium and Exhibit Celebrating Forty Years of Innovation 
  Articles about the history of UCI campus design and architecture.
• Long range development plans for the UCI campus
  There are multiple long range development plans, beginning in 1962, that envision the growth and development of the UCI campus.
• Birth of a Campus
  A KNBC film from 1965 documenting the dedication of UCI campus and including a brief history of the Irvine Ranch and Irvine Company, and statements by architect William L. Pereira and Chancellor Daniel G. Aldrich.
• Journey into the Essence: Orange County and the Coming of UCI
  By Leonard C. Moffit, one of the first campus community planners for UCI, about the historical context for UCI and its initial development.

Selected Archival Materials

Archival collections are described in detail in searchable, online finding aids in the Online Archive of California. Follow the links below to view the complete finding aids.

• Campus architectural plans (AS-055)
  Architectural drawings, plans, renderings, and blueprints from 1963 to 1975. Includes plans for major campus buildings, campus support facilities, student housing and plans for campus layout and infrastructure (e.g., landscaping, roads, and utility systems).
• Central Records Unit records (AS-004)
  Includes project files on UCI buildings completed before 1994, as well as files concerning housing, utility and site development, and roads.
• Communications Department photographs (AS-061)
  Includes photographs of campus buildings and landscape views of the campus in addition to images on countless other subjects. This collection has not yet been organized; please contact us for more information.
• Design and Construction Services architectural renderings (AS-142)
  Original color illustrations used in the design and planning of campus building projects. The designs, most of which are in watercolor or gouache, represent various outdoor spaces, exterior building views, interiors, and site plans.
• Early campus photograph albums (AS-056)
  The albums include black-and-white images of aerial and landscape views of the campus and Irvine Ranch area, and major campus buildings.
• Land agreements between the University of California and the Irvine Company (AS-090)
  Copies of the agreements in which the Irvine Company deeded 1,000 acres of land to the University of California for a new Irvine campus.
• Office of Physical Planning subject files (AS-021)
  Covers issues relating to land development, environmental management, transportation planning, and city and campus planning in California, Orange County, the City of Irvine, and the UCI campus. Include correspondence, proposals, plans, reports, meeting minutes, agreements, environmental impact statements, and background information files.
• Office of Physical Planning and Construction records (AS-024)
  Covers major and minor capital improvement projects at UCI, including documentation on building projects and campus improvements, such as  meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, and plans. This collection has not yet been organized; please contact us for more information.
• Philip L. Boyd collection on University of California, Irvine site selection (AS-067)
  Correspondence between former University of California Regent Philip L. Boyd and other parties that participated in selecting the campus site for UCI. Also included are photographs of the signing of the site selection agreement and aerial photographs of the proposed site.
• University Extension community planning study files (AS-010)
  An Orange County, California community planning study conducted from 1965-1978 that brought together planners from both campus and community to study a variety of subjects, including the politics of everyday life, transportation, health, population goals, and open space. Materials include correspondence, reports, flyers, brochures, news clippings, news releases, and articles.
• William L. Pereira and Associates project workbooks for the University of California, Irvine campus
  Five project workbooks documenting the preliminary planning of the University of California, Irvine campus by the architectural firm William L. Pereira and Associates. They contain status reports, maps, schematic and architectural plans, and drawings.

Exhibits at UCI

• Under Construction Indefinitely: 40 Years of Designing UCI
  A brief summary and exhibition checklist for a 2006 exhibit in the Langson Library about the design and construction of UCI.