In partnership with the County of San Diego, Lowe and Steinberg Hart Unveil State-of-the-Art Facility Enhancing Regional Health Infrastructure
SAN DIEGO, June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Steinberg Hart, a leading architecture firm, and Lowe, a leading national real estate developer, investor and manager, have completed construction of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Public Health Laboratory. Located at the 47-acre County Operations Center (COC) in Kearny Mesa, this innovative facility marks a significant advancement in the region's public health capabilities.
The 52,000- square- foot, two-story laboratory was designed with an emphasis on functional, well-lit spaces, wellness and indoor-outdoor connection. The building exemplifies the County of San Diego's commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility and is designed to LEED Platinum certification standards. The new facility is three times larger than its predecessor, providing space for nearly 100 employees and contractors.
The lab is equipped to conduct approximately 50,000 tests annually for infectious diseases such as COVID-19, RSV, influenza, and tuberculosis, as well as tests for food and water safety, animal rabies, and hazardous pathogens like anthrax. The laboratory also serves as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Laboratory Response Network Lab for San Diego and Imperial Counties, enhancing the region's readiness for public health emergencies.
The electric building features rooftop solar panels that offset 55% of the annual power consumption for the facility and the adjacent parking structure, which features 146 EV chargers. The building is oriented to take advantage of natural light in offices and common areas as well as natural shade where needed. A large roof overhang creates a welcoming entrance while reducing solar heat gain and glare. Native and adaptive vegetation as well as a smart irrigation system reduce outdoor water use while water conserving fixtures provide indoor water use efficiency. Building construction used low carbon concrete, steel and metal panels on the building design, resulting in a 23% reduction in embodied carbon.
"This new building continues the commitment to excellence established by the County of San Diego at the award-winning County Operations Center. As the lead developer for the campus, Lowe has had the privilege of working with this esteemed group for nearly 20-years to create a consolidated campus to serve the County and its residents," said Lowe Senior Vice President Todd Majcher. "The Public Health Lab is a world class facility that will provide lifesaving research and support to the local community."
Developed by Lowe, designed by Steinberg Hart and built by BNBuilders, the laboratory is the sixth phase of the COC Campus Master Plan, reflecting nearly two decades of the team's collaboration with the County of San Diego to create the 1.7 million square foot campus.
"Recent improvements to our County Operations Campus imbue the ideals of good planning, excellence in design, forward-leaning sustainably, and highly efficient and functional spaces to serve our community. This set of projects helped us to solve numerous, serious challenges in one fell swoop. Twenty departments collaborated in making this come to fruition. In the end, I'm most proud that the PH Lab is built with the flexibility to evolve with the science and testing needs of the future," said Marko Medved, Director, Department of General Services, County of San Diego.
Key features of the facility include a Biosafety-Level 3 Bioterrorism Lab; Tuberculosis Prep and BSL-3 TB Labs; Genome Sequencing Lab; Training Lab; Rabies Lab; and Surge Lab for emergency response.
"This facility represents a proactive investment in our community's health, ensuring we are better prepared for future public health challenges," said Dr. Jeremy Corrigan, Laboratory Director at the building opening.
The development team conducted a robust space needs analysis at the COC campus, reviewing teleworking schedules, hoteling spaces and projected future growth of the existing campus departments. They determined that numerous departments could be consolidated into existing COC office buildings. The resulting cost savings contributed greatly to the opportunity to construct the new, state-of-the-art Public Health Lab, along with a six-level parking garage nearby, which included roof solar panels that offset part of the lab's energy usage.
"This laboratory is not only a scientific facility—it's a symbol of the County's values. We designed a building that places the well-being of the scientists, staff, and broader community at its core. This facility and the greater campus reflect the best of what long-term public-private collaboration can accomplish, and we are proud to be a part of the team that has shaped this entire campus." said Vincent Mudd, Managing Partner of Steinberg Hart's San Diego office.
Also shaping the COC campus is the County's commitment to public art. The Public Health Lab design included three original art installations by local artists Einer and Jamex De La Torre, YC Kim and Jason Lane, celebrating San Diego's homegrown talent and the lab's connection to the community it serves.
The project is Lowe and Steinberg Hart's13th project completed together at the County Operations Center campus. It recently earned an Award of Merit from the Pacific Coast Builder's Conference 2025 Gold Nugget Awards.
For more information about the San Diego County Public Health Laboratory, please visit San Diego County News Center , Lowe News or Steinberg Hart's official announcement.
About Lowe
Los Angeles-based Lowe, formerly known as Lowe Enterprises, is a leading national real estate investment, development and management firm. Over the past 53 years, it has developed, acquired or managed more than $36 billion of real estate assets nationwide as it pursued its mission to build value in real estate by creating innovative, lasting environments and meaningful experiences that connect people and place. Lowe currently has more than $2 billion in commercial real estate projects in the pipeline or under development. Lowe has been an active developer, investor and manager in the San Diego area for more than 30 years. It recently acquired the Mission Valley Shopping Center and recently completed development of the office component of West, a 37-story mixed use tower in downtown San Diego. Lowe maintains regional offices in Southern California, Northern California, Charleston, Denver, Seattle, and Washington, DC. For more information visit www.Lowe-RE.com.
About Steinberg Hart
Since its founding in 1953, international architecture, interiors, and planning firm Steinberg Hart has designed memorable spaces that enrich lives, strengthen communities, and honor the environment. With a legacy of design excellence and an award-winning portfolio of projects, the firm was honored with AIA California's prestigious Firm Award in 2023. Steinberg Hart brings together firmwide expertise and local insight across the Arts, Education, Community, Government, Residential and Hospitality sectors. Working across eight offices, Steinberg Hart fosters a culture of creativity and bold thinking, empowering its teams of architects, designers and planners to take risks, challenge convention, and design with purpose and passion — all driven by the belief that together, we can create the world we want. Learn more at www.steinberghart.com.
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SOURCE Lowe
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