Wexford Science & Technology, LLC
Aggie Square
Where university, industry, & community merge revealing new ideas & opportunities.
With a vision to dismantle the traditional barriers between education, business, and community interests, Aggie Square is a joint venture between the project developer, Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, one of the nation’s top public research universities – the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and the City of Sacramento. Aggie Square is a multi-use, innovation district adjacent to the UC Davis Medical Center and along the Stockton Boulevard corridor. Envisioned to implement best practices and foster inclusive economic development, Aggie Square harnesses UC Davis’ research while hosting private-industry partnerships and local start-ups that offer new jobs to Sacramento residents, and it accommodates classrooms and student housing, enhancing the community.
Having performed utility master planning services on the UC Davis Sacramento campus since 2013, AEI served as the engineer of record for this multi-phased, transformative project, providing mechanical, electrical, piping/plumbing (MEP), fire protection, security and technology consulting and design, along with Pivotal Lighting Design’s architectural lighting design solutions. Replacing a dated surface parking lot, Aggie Square spans 8.25 acres and supports the university's efforts and private-sector initiatives, including research programs in science, technology, and data, continuing and professional education, collaborative workspaces, residential housing, and catering and retail services.
Phase 1 of Aggie Square includes more than 1 million square feet of core-and-shell space. It comprises four primary buildings, anchored by UC Davis programs, that provide rentable space for industry investments and community-based partnerships.
Aggie Square is composed of four primary buildings connected by a central Square, with multiple entry points that link seamlessly to the surrounding neighborhoods.
At its core lies the Square, an open, central space surrounded by diverse amenities and hubs, fostering an environment conducive to brainstorming, teamwork, and creativity. Connected by ‘The Paseo,’ a scenic tree-lined pathway, the entire complex converges at the Square, creating seamless accessibility.
A laboratory at Aggie Square.
“We have an opportunity, through Aggie Square, to deliver new value to our communities and to create a roadmap for people across the street and across the region to better access the resources of this great university.”
Among the four new structures is the Life Sciences, Technology & Engineering East (LSTE-E), a seven-story, 326,000-square-foot facility housing cutting-edge laboratories, incubators (Wexford ConnectLabs), offices, support spaces, and retail services. Parallel to the west, LSTE West (LTSE-W) mirrors its counterpart but incorporates the potential for a top-floor Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) space. The Life-Long Learning Tower (LLL), an 11-story, 334,000-square-foot high-rise, integrates offices, research spaces, classrooms, conference facilities, a café, and the Wexford Innovation Hall and Assembly Hallas well as access points to the LSTE-E on the first and second floors.
- 500,000+
- square feet of life science-based lab space
Aggie Square is filled with spaces designed to foster collaboration.
A unique facet of Aggie Square is the collaborative layout across LSTE-E, LSTE-W, and LLL buildings, blending laboratories, incubators, and communal spaces to merge academic and corporate research initiatives. This intentional design fosters collaboration and expedites the discovery, educational, and implementation processes.
Addressing housing scarcity in Sacramento, the Housing and Market Plaza offers 190 apartment units across five floors, primarily for UC Davis students and affiliates.
The plaza aims to bolster local and sustainable food initiatives by supporting food literacy and education, featuring a pavilion for farmers' markets, offering healthy food options, and hosting community-oriented programs.
The Mobility Hub, separate from but adjacent to Aggie Square, offers electric buses, shuttle services, carshare, bike-share, and other sustainable transportation alternatives, encouraging eco-friendly movement across the campus. To accommodate both current and future demand, Phase 1 also included a 1,700-stall parking lot.
- $50+ million
- investing in affordable housing in nearby neighborhoods
“Aggie Square will build on the Sacramento region's intellect and ingenuity and help build a brighter tomorrow, with job opportunities and substantial benefits to our economy for generations to come.”
Aggie Square substantially contributes to Sacramento's economic landscape and environmental sustainability. Given exacting project demands, such as natural gas bans, the project adheres to the University of California’s Office of the President (UCOP) Carbon Neutrality Initiative, which pledges to improve energy efficiency, use renewable energy sources, and electrify buildings. The project also exceeds the California Building Standards Code (Title 24-2019) and incorporates other Aggie Square-specific policies to help achieve ambitious sustainability objectives.
An open makerspace designed for hands-on collaboration, prototyping, and innovation.
The project design is set to exceed the energy use intensity target of 95 kbtu per square foot per year (kbtu/sf-yr) for LSTE-E and 50 kbtu/sf-yr for the LLL facility, coupled with a targeted 36 percent reduction in water use by 2025. Aligned with the University of California's commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2025, Aggie Square is dedicated to sustainability and carbon neutrality, seeking LEED Gold certification to underscore its environmental responsibility and high-performance building design.
- 100%
- renewable energy sources
All-electric heating and cooling air flow design.
- 100%
- all-electric buildings (including intensive process loads)
Aggie Square is all-electric and powered by 100-percent clean electricity, exemplifying UC Davis’s and Wexford’s commitment to electrification and a decarbonized future. AEI leverages its expertise in sustainable engineering planning and design across the campus’s MEP infrastructure. This includes innovative elements, such as heat recovery chillers, air source heat pumps for heating water and domestic hot water, CO2 heat pumps for process steam makeup water preheat, exhaust heat recovery coilers, active chilled beams, air quality sensing demand control ventilation for Gross Anatomy, and variably exhaust discharge based on wind tunnel testing.
Both LSTE-E and LLL buildings feature fully electric HVAC systems utilizing heat recovery chillers for primary heating and cooling. The LSTE-E employs exhaust heat recovery coils within exhaust fan units, while the LLL incorporates heat pump chillers as a secondary heating source. Additionally, the LSTE-E has electric boilers for secondary heating and electric steam generation capabilities. AEI's commitment aligns seamlessly with Aggie Square's broader sustainability objectives, further reinforcing its position as a pioneer in environmentally conscious and forward-thinking development.
A depiction of the 7th-floor catwalks in the LTSE-E building.
- 25,000
- ongoing jobs to the Sacramento area
Aggie Square is poised to redefine research, education, and collaboration. By linking UC Davis's schools of Education, Agriculture, and Medicine with local entrepreneurs and the city, Aggie Square establishes a dynamic knowledge center rooted in innovation. This evolutionary initiative spurs economic growth in Sacramento and accelerates the translation of cutting-edge research into practical applications, facilitating scientific progress.
“Knowledge Communities like Aggie Square can amplify the talent, ideas, and innovation of a strong research university like UC Davis, and extend them into products and services that improve the human condition and create job opportunities for residents and economic development impact for the Sacramento region.”
Going beyond the conventional university campus model, Aggie Square distinguishes itself through its commitment to community benefits. A Community Benefits Partnership Agreement, shaped by extensive local input, allocates resources to short-term construction jobs and long-term permanent positions. With an estimated one-time economic impact of $2.6 billion from Phases 1 and 2 and an ongoing annual economic impact of $5 billion, Aggie Square is anticipated to invigorate the regional economy and support over 25,000 jobs.
- $5 billion
- predicted ongoing annual economic impact
Aggie Square's comprehensive approach encompasses education, research, industry joint effort, and community engagement. As construction progresses on schedule, Aggie Square is poised to emerge as Sacramento's premier economic development opportunity, bringing together university resources, industry know-how, and community partnerships to shape a vibrant and inclusive future for the region.