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$94 Million UCSF Building Aims for LEED Silver

SAN FRANCISCO — Construction of a new $94.5 million Institute for Regeneration Medicine Building at University of California, San Francisco, is scheduled to begin this summer.

The 73,000-square-foot building will house the university’s regeneration program and offer space for collaboration among scientific and medical researchers.

Rafael Vinoly Architects designed the building to fit along a narrow hillside between a surface street and UCSF Medical Center. The building will be terraced and will follow the arc of the hillside.

Planners will seek LEED Silver certification for the project, in accordance with the university’s construction policy.

Green roofs will feature gardens with walkways and sitting areas to allow people to congregate outdoors. The roofs will link to a pedestrian bridge that connects to three research and medical buildings at the campus.

Green roofs will feature gardens and walkways.

South-facing windows will allow natural light to illuminate laboratories and offices while providing views of Mount Sutro, one of the tallest peaks in San Francisco.

Exterior ramps will run along the north façade to connect each laboratory floor, and walkways will link the building to other campus facilities.

The project will adhere to Labs21 environmental performance criteria. Labs21 is a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It is an optional program with guidelines for making a laboratory green while maintaining standards necessary to maintain a sterile environment where experiments must remain uncompromised.

The project is expected to be completed in 2010.