State of VermontVermont Agriculture and Environmental Laboratory at Vermont Technical College

Project Overview

In 2011, a need arose for new testing labs and office space for various Vermont State agencies after Tropical Store Irene destroyed the state office complex in Waterbury, VT. Fast forward, and eight years later the Vermont Agriculture and Environmental Laboratory (VAEL) is now in operation.

The 36,000 sf facility serves as a lab for monitoring various issues from health to safety throughout the state and supports a myriad of different functions, including chemistry testing labs, a weights and measures unit, an animal pathology lab that includes a necropsy suite, a forest biology unit that houses an extensive specimen collection, a biology area with a BSL 2+ lab and numerous testing labs.
These various labs support the State’s water quality, the dairy and maple industries, as well as hemp, but also testing ticks and mosquitos and monitoring the emerald ash borer beetle. The building was designed to be highly flexible for multiple uses.

Located on the campus of Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, the facility offers availability for students to engage in a multitude of internships and research opportunities.