Strengthening and enhancing opportunity

Something of a capstone for Texas A&M's west campus, the Plant Pathology and Microbiology Building ensures that 13 of the 14 departments of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are located there. Its placement adjacent to the Horticulture/Forest Science Building and near other related research departments and facilities strengthens and enhances opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration among faculty and students.

The building provides generic, flexible labs with the capabilities necessary to support research as it evolves. Its 84,000 square feet includes two plant pathology instructional labs, one bio-environmental instructional lab, teaching support spaces, 20 general research spaces with additional support spaces, an integral greenhouse, two multipurpose seminar rooms, one multipurpose flat-floor auditorium, and administrative offices.

A major theme for the building is "science on display," an opportunity to engage the public space to promote interaction and student interest in agricultural sciences. Comprising a four-story laboratory wing and a three-story teaching and departmental office wing, the building features a centrally situated first-floor "front porch" that serves as a social and visual connector to the campus at large. Utilizing digital display walls, the space promotes the department and enables its public outreach through demonstration of the department's contributions to plant health, food safety, and security. Additionally, prefunction gallery and collaborative spaces serve as internal visual and social connectors to instructional and research spaces, providing welcoming, engaging environments with social areas that incorporate a variety of soft seating options. A grand staircase provides both a physical and social connection between the lobby/porch and second-level collaborative space.

Flad Architects (design architect, programming, lab planning), Randall Scott Architects (architect of record)