Design plans for the first of three phases of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis have been approved by the Regents of the University of California.

That decision paves the way for construction of the institute's academic building, which is expected to break ground in spring 2005. The second and third phases will include a research-and-teaching winery and a brewing-and-food-science laboratory. The institute's new buildings will replace outdated teaching and research facilities that are about 50 years old.

"This is an exciting step forward for the Robert Mondavi Institute," said Clare M. Hasler, executive director for the institute. "It brings us one important step closer to making the vision of the RMI a reality."

The institute will be located at the south entry of the UC Davis campus, west of the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and adjacent to Interstate 80. It is designed to be the centerpiece of the campus' south entry.

The 129,600-square-foot academic building will be constructed in three wings wrapping around a courtyard that faces westward to a teaching vineyard and open space. The courtyard will contain demonstration gardens and serve as a venue for special events.

All three wings will be built of reinforced concrete, with exteriors that combine a glass-curtain wall, cement plaster and stone veneer. There will be two three-story wings, one housing the Department of Viticulture and Enology and the other housing the Department of Food Science and Technology. The third wing will be two stories and will include shared laboratories and offices for the institute.

Construction of the academic building is contingent on the passage of Proposition 55, a $12.3 billion statewide bond measure that will be on the March 2 ballot. The bond, which would finance construction projects for K-12 schools, colleges and universities, would earmark $33.6 million for the institute's academic building.

The Robert Mondavi Institute was established in 2001 with a $25 million gift from Robert Mondavi. The Anheuser-Busch Foundation has also provided $5 million in matching funds to help construct the institute's Anheuser-Busch Brewing and Food Science Laboratory.

The institute will be the global innovator in university-based wine and food programs and will house the largest and most prestigious wine and food science academic program in the world. The educational and research components associated with the winery, brewery and food-processing plant are expected to draw many national and international visitors annually.