The first facility slated to open is the Sustainability Research & Engineering (“SRE”) lab building. The SRE lab provides professors and graduate students optimal research and teaching capabilities via facilities designed and equipped to cater to the needs of current and prospective researchers. Faculty from the department of Environmental Engineering are the primary users set to conduct research in this building, however, the functionality of the spaces are versatile enough to accommodate the dynamic evolution of work required by a wide-range of researchers and areas of study. The inclusion of classrooms adjacent to these research labs on each of the SRE’s four floors exposes students to complex higher-level study and research. Collaborative spaces such as machine shops, acoustic rooms, sustainability research, computer labs, genomic research and isotope stability labs are in close proximity and easily accessible.

But what about sustainability? Granted UC Merced’s location in the heart of the California Central Valley, environmental research is critical in understanding regional agricultural production and water resources. With this in mind, a few features were

implemented to reduce the environmental footprint of the SRE building, including subsurface drip irrigation which adjusts dripping frequency based on data received from the on-campus weather station.

Another feature is the utilization of light-colored pavement surrounding the building to minimize the urban heat island effect by reflecting sunlight. Additionally, this new lab building anchors the northern border of Academic Quad, which functions as a common space designed to promote interaction between students and professors from various departments.

Marking the southern boundary of Academic Quad is the second lab facility, the Arts & Computational Sciences (“ACS”) building. The ACS building serves to support UC Merced’s growing population, as well as the demand for additional computer labs and dedicated creative space, inclusive of music and dance studios. UC Merced’s new large performance studios and computational labs boast the ability to cater to a variety of disciplines and functional purposes.

Also included within this state-of-the-art lab facility are wall-to-wall open zones taking advantage of natural lighting to illuminate the vibrant and dynamic learning spaces and workstations positioned across the facility. The crown jewel, however, is a 299-seat multimedia theater equipped with a 52-foot wide screen, available for those viewing films and presentations. The ACS building continues to stimulate the student population’s thirst for knowledge and collaboration through a computational and artistic lens.

Inspired by the network of underground tunnels designed and implemented at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, the Loading Dock was designed with careful consideration for impact minimization. Firstly, its rear entrance helps mitigate interruptions to pedestrian and vehicular traffic typically caused by delivery vehicles. This is especially beneficial given the number of docks (3) included within the Loading Dock bay and the high volume of deliveries made each day. The three docks connect to the SRE building, The Pavilion (dining center), and the Biomedical Sciences & Physics building (coming June 1, 2020) through this underground network of tunnels. Specially engineered doors on the Loading Dock prevent any chemical or biological cross contamination to the surrounding docks, an important feature as dining facilities share access with the vivarium (laboratories designed for live animal testing), receiving specimens through this same facility.

The Academic Quad unifies the campus community with a bustling plaza, connecting student life with academic pursuits. Academic Walk was connected with the project’s first delivery buildings and will achieve full sprawl upon the project’s completion. Running adjacently to the pre-existing Scholar’s Lane, Academic Walk will provide an additional route for those on campus to reach their destination.

Behind the residence hall Glacier Point, a building opened upon First Delivery, are tennis courts that are now joined by newly introduced black-top basketball courts. These courts offer recreational options to students looking to play outdoors at any time, an advantage over using the gym which is often reserved for practice and games by UC Merced’s Athletic Department. Similarly, the addition of three recreational fields grant the opportunity to host large-scale school events and practices for intramural teams.