University of California Davis Veterinary Medicine Research Facility 3B
Features & Highlights
- LEED Platinum®
- High performance at a low operating cost
Project Overview
Veterinary Medicine 3B is a four-story, 118,676-square-foot research building with 76,000 assignable square feet dedicated to protecting and improving the health of animals, people and the environment. Vet Med 3 contains laboratories; support space; research, academic and administrative offices; a small-animal vivarium; a Biosafety Level 3 Suite; and centralized service space to serve the research needs of multiple departments. The project brings together 50 faculty members from more than two dozen disciplines and nearly 40 student-faculty research teams, laboratory staff and graduate students.
Innovative design features of Vet Med 3 include an open lab concept that facilitates scientific collaboration. The integrated assignment of offices, support space, shared equipment and labs cross department/unit lines, as do the shared conference and break rooms, team spaces, seminar rooms and bio-speciman freezer storage. UC Davis’ research enterprise is the largest in the nation among veterinary colleges. This project was the final phase in the university’s multi-year effort to centralize the School of Veterinary Medicine in one area of campus while providing state-of-the art research facilities for its top-ranked program.
To reduce overall energy consumption several simultaneous mechanical strategies were implemented. Laboratory make-up air comes In part from administrative spaces, allowing the entire building to benefit from the passive chilled beams around the building’s perimeter. Radiant flooring was installed in the building’s core to heat the building without mechanized fans. These sustainable energy strategies contributed to the building’s LEED Platinum® status.