A highlight of the building is the 4,300-sf computer-controlled greenhouse, where students can conduct experiments on live plants. Sea water tanks in the basement feed flumes in the Evolution and Ecology Labs on the first floor where zoology students learn about marine animals. The greenhouse automatically adjusts temperature, ventilation, and shading to conserve energy and maintain optimal conditions for growing plants. The digital controls allow adjustment of the greenhouse either from on campus or from a remote location.

Another feature is the John M. Tucker Herbarium in the Center for Plant Diversity. The nationally recognized collection of more than 250,000 dried plants and flowers from California and around the world are used for research and teaching in botany and plant biology. Farmers and gardeners, environmentalists and weed control experts, poison control centers, and law enforcement also use the collection for plant identification.

Lab neighborhoods throughout the building reflect the six departments of the Division of Biological Sciences, and the Department of Chemistry. Spacious corridors lead to alcoves at each lab entry door. Each neighborhood features numerous display cases and tack panels. Each department also has a lab-sized Learning Center and Teaching Assistant Discussion Room. Labs are designed to mimic those facilities that students will find when they graduate and begin their careers in industry and academia. The open classroom labs feature video projection and powered screens with Internet access at each student station. Thirty-four classrooms, two computer labs, five student discussion rooms, study lounges, and a Bio-Brew Café are also elements of the building. The Discussion Rooms and study areas receive natural lighting via large glass bay windows and feature wood library tables and chairs with glass markerboards and Internet access at each study table. The 517-seat Sciences Lecture Theatre features a high-resolution projection system and three projection screens.

Project Information
Building Owner:		University of California, Davis
Owner Contact:		Robert Strand, Campus Architect
Building Location:		Davis, California UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Teaching biology and chemistry
Project Delivery Method:		General Contractor
Project Timeline		Jul 2002 Construction Start Jan 2005 Completion Last known status: Completed
Construction Cost:		$43,500,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$285
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Biology Chemistry Ecology Education Education: Biology Education: Chemistry Education: Lecture Or Seminar Hall Education: Life Sciences Greenhouse Laboratory: Chemistry Laboratory: Dry And Wet Laboratory: Teaching Life Sciences
Total GSF:		152,574
Total NSF:		87,535
Efficiency:		57%
Building Population:		1000
Special Equip:		Salt water tanks, automated greenhouse, 60 degree herbarium storage
Office Size:		117 NSF
Structure/Foundation:		Unbonded braced steel frame with soil cement columns
Laboratory Parameters
Lab Module:		10' 6" x 30' 6"
Casework Mat'l:		Wood casework with epoxy resin countertops
Project Team
Architect		Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP
Consultant - Fire Protection		Rolf Jensen & Associates
Laboratory Planner		Research Facilities Design (RFD)
Profile Created 09/07/2005
Last Updated 04/04/2006
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.