Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

Project summary:

The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, affiliated with the University of Wisconsin system, provides testing and diagnostic serves for all types of animals in Wisconsin. The new 78,000 square foot structure has twice the square footage of the previous building.

The building's design is heavily influenced by Wisconsin's strong agricultural tradition. From the exterior, the cylindrical stair towers are abstract representations of silo structures commonly found on Wisconsin farms. The design is intended to link the building to the agricultural industry served by Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.

The facility is situated in the Westside of the 933-acre University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The exterior materials of brick, concrete and glazing systems related to existing campus buildings in the neighborhood. The new lab is strategically located by the School of Veterinary Medicine to the north, the Large Animal Hospital to the east; underground mechanicals and an extreme grade change to the south and a green space and Willow Creek to the west. This location enables researchers to collaborate with the various departments to better diagnose and treat animals.

The Lab's diagnostic work is organized into six main lab areas: Pathology, Toxicology, Microbiology, Virology, Serology, and Molecular Diagnostics. The facility also includes a self-contained Biological Safety Level 3 laboratory which expands the laboratory's capability to work with infections organisms.

The main lobby consists of a two-story atrium with a barrel vault ceiling. Lobby finishes include a terrazzo floor, maple veneer walls and cast stone tiles. The lobby area serves as the hub for support spaces such as the administrative suite, conference room and the multi-purpose room. Vibrantly colored, transparent research photographs adorn the floor to ceiling windows of the conference rooms.

The main laboratory and office areas of the building are defined by the use of red brick, similar to the red brick used on the adjacent School of Veterinary Medicine building. Windows on the north and south sides of the building are proportionate to the windows on the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Special elements, such as the boardroom, multi-purpose room, stair towers, Necropsy, and key building entrances, are defined with a combination of architectural pre-cast concrete panels and champagne anodized finish aluminum window system.

In the interior, borrowed light systems provide natural lighting to numerous interior lab spaces and windows allow for staff/visitor viewing. Ceiling finish materials include suspended acoustical panel/grid systems and drywall.