A team of architects, engineers and builders has been selected to design and construct the building that will house a teaching and research winery as well as a brewery and food science laboratory for the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science.

The newly selected team, chosen through a competitive bids process, includes BNB Norcal of San Mateo and Flad Architects of San Francisco; along with Gayner Engineering, KPW Structural Engineers, Creegan+D'Angelo, Civil Engineers and HLA Landscape Architects. BNB NorCal is a construction firm experienced in building wineries, breweries pilot plants and university facilities.

Flad Architects specializes in planning and designing innovative facilities in the fields of academia, healthcare, and science and technology.

Design plans for the one-story, 32,000-square-foot building are to be submitted for approval to the UC regents in January. Construction is slated to begin in June 2009, with completion anticipated in July 2010.

This building will be located at the southwest corner of the new Robert Mondavi Institute's academic complex.

On Oct. 10, after Dateline went to press, UC Davis was set to host a public grand opening of the first three buildings in the complex, housing laboratories, offices and teaching facilities for the departments of Viticulture and Enology, and Food Science and Technology.

The $73 million, harvest-orange complex of buildings can be seen from Interstate 80 near the campus's south entry.

The new building will house the small-scale Teaching and Research Winery and the August A. Busch III Brewing and Food Science Laboratory, including a brewery and pilot food-processing plant for tomatoes, milk and other California food products. It will be designed to meet or exceed environmental specifications necessary for the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED-NC Gold Certification.

Funds for constructing and equipping the new building have been provided entirely by private donors, with lead gifts from the late Robert Mondavi for the Teaching and Research Winery and from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation for the August A. Busch III Brewing and Food Science Laboratory.

More than 150 individuals, alumni, corporate friends and foundations have contributed to the $16.5 million budget for this phase of construction. Fundraising continues for further equipping the facility.

More information: robertmondaviinstitute.ucdavis.edu.