UT Southwestern C. Kern Wildenthal Research Building Dallas, Texas

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Expertise

Education
Masterplanning
Research

Size

379,590 SF

Bridging Ideas

Setting the organizational pattern and architectural language for future inter-connectivity between buildings, the C. Kern Wildenthal Biomedical Research Building bridges interactive spaces across the existing research campus.

Establishing the Pattern

As Phase V of UT Southwestern's 60-acre North Campus, the C. Kern Wildenthal Biomedical Research building is the first building on the north side of the landscaped canal that divides the campus. The building sets the organizational pattern and architectural language for the remaining six phases of the masterplan created by OMNIPLAN.

The OMNIPLAN team has been a pleasure to work with. They took the time to listen and thoroughly understand our needs. The team has been responsive throughout the entire design and construction process and has been extremely instrumental in helping us create a new home for our department that will meet our needs for many years to come

Sean Morrison Director, Children’s Research Institute UT Southwestern Medical Center

#1 Largest LEED Silver laboratory space in Texas
12 Stories
8 Principal researchers per lab floor
14.3% Energy savings from the high-performance HVAC alone

Smart Design

We deliberately designed the building in two stages, separating the core & shell design from the laboratory finish-out. Using this design approach advanced the project while its final users were still being determined. The building shell and core was designed around a general laboratory layout. This nonspecific lab layout provided the flexibility to easily adapt to the developing needs of its users and programs. Once the programs had been identified, the laboratories were designed in response to each principal researcher’s specific requirements.

Interactive Space

The layout of each lab floor, along with its vertical circulation, is organized to promote spontaneous collaboration between researchers—cultivating interactive spaces where interdisciplinary discoveries can emerge.
Flexibility for the Future

Though some floors may initially be dedicated to administrative and classroom areas, the modular design of the building and systems allows for easy conversion into laboratory space.
Natural Light

Labs along the perimeter offer daylight to researchers. Each general lab floor has access to daylight and can accommodate up to eight principal researchers and his or her staff.

LEED Silver

The C. Kern Wildenthal Biomedical Research Building is the largest LEED-Silver Certified laboratory space in Texas.

Typical Floor Plan
Creative Reuse of Water
Indoor Air Quality
Efficient Air Quality
Energy Excellence
High-Performing HVAC
Reflective Roof

Typical Floor Plan
Creative Reuse of Water
Below grade, a cistern collects rainwater to redistribute throughout an irrigation system designed to maintain the landscape.
Indoor Air Quality
Important to the building’s use as a 12-story sequence of research laboratories, the indoor air quality relies on meeting a minimum number of air-changes per hour.
Efficient Air Quality
Each air-change consumes energy, so a panel of doctors reassessed the building’s requisite minimum of air changes for unoccupied spaces.
Energy Excellence
The building was also awarded for excellence in energy and atmosphere.
High-Performing HVAC
The building’s high-performance HVAC system single-handedly contributed to 14.3% of the energy savings.
Reflective Roof
The roof’s solar reflective quality reduces heat transfer to the surface of the building—saving energy that would otherwise be used to cool the building.