Sundt has completed the Veterinary Medicine 3B Building at the University of California, Davis, which provides needed research space for the university’s School of Veterinary Medicine. The new facility will open to students and faculty at the start of the fall 2013 semester.
The 118,676-square-foot, four-story building features laboratories, laboratory support, research office space, academic and administrative offices, a Biosafety Level 3 Suite and centralized service space to accommodate the research needs of several different health sciences departments. Sundt’s contract was for $38.2 million.
“Throughout the years, Sundt has built an extensive portfolio of sustainable higher education construction projects, including technology, science and student housing buildings for universities throughout California,” said Sundt’s Project Manager Joel Witt. “This particular building showcases how state-of-the-art research labs can also achieve high sustainability goals.”
The two-year laboratory construction project was designed to meet LEED Platinum environmental standards, as specified by the U.S. Green building Council. To reduce overall energy consumption, several simultaneous mechanical strategies were implemented, including building the majority of work and office spaces in the open office zones and isolating the more ventilation-intensive lab spaces. By strategically placing these work areas, the design team reduced the total lab area that requires high-ventilation rates. The facility also features passive chilled beams around the building perimeter and radiant flooring in the building’s core to distribute heat without using mechanized fans.