Iowa State University Breaks Ground on Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

Iowa State University broke ground in October of 2020 on the $75 million Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) in Ames. Located on the campus of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the 72,540-sf structure will provide leading-edge labs and testing suites to enable the prevention, detection, and mitigation of animal diseases including avian influenza, African Swine Fever, and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. Housing 25 faculty and 130 technical staff, the two-story building will include research space for the discovery of new pathogens and the development of innovative diagnostic assays. Replacing ISU's existing VDL, the standalone facility will also accommodate training programs for the next generation of veterinarians and scientists in diagnostic medicine. The design-build project team includes architectural firm Strang working in collaboration with The Weitz Company as general contractor. Construction will begin in early 2021 with occupancy expected in 2023.