Facilities Management, or FM, is constantly working behind the scenes to maintain and enhance our campus, ensuring it meets the highest standards of safety, functionality, and aesthetics. One of FM’s recent successes was a collaborative effort with Building Maintenance Services and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to revitalize the barns at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, or VMTH. This critical project was completed in preparation for the hospital’s Fall 2025 Veterinary Accreditation program.

Building Management Services (BMS) is always working on new projects around campus. We sat down with Refik Smlatic, Inspector, Planner, Estimator for Facilities Management (FM) BMS, to delve into the background and details of an impressive project that has led to a complete overhaul of Hoagland Hall’s lighting system and aims to increase campus efficiency as a whole.

Our sheet metal, weld, and machine shop team at Facilities Management works diligently to maintain, build, and install all HVAC systems on campus. These systems are integral to ensuring suitable temperatures for vital research and academics, making their work incredibly important to our campus community. The team has over 250 years of combined experience and is made up of 9 members, listed below: 

Supervisor: Al Bacchini 

Sheet metal shop: Manuel Preciado, Greg Turben, Ryan Montoya, Chris Meyer, John Eldeen

Elevators play a vital role in ensuring our campus remains accessible for all students, staff, and visitors. While essential for navigating campus buildings, they often go unnoticed until they stop working. Campus elevator foreman Aimee Spivey knows all about the intricate mechanisms that make these transportation devices function and works daily to make sure that they are operating at the highest level possible. We sat down with Aimee to learn more about a long-term elevator modernization project currently underway on campus. 

In a recent interview with Joe Lestanguet, inspector, Planner, Estimator (IPE) for Facilities Management Building Maintenance Mechanical unit, we delved into the background and details of a transformative project to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and contribute to our campus sustainability goals.

In the dynamic landscape of a campus such as ours, adapting facilities to meet evolving needs is paramount. One such transformative endeavor took place at Cowell building's second story, housing the Center for Advocacy, Resources, and Education (CARES). Spearheaded by Student Affairs Director Matthew Fucile and Divisional Resources Associate Director Carol Swafford, this project breathed new life into the space, providing CARES with enhanced functionality and privacy.

As we walk around campus, we often overlook the intricate systems that silently work behind the scenes. Today, we take a closer look into a significant project that plays a pivotal role in both our research efforts and the sustainability of our campus: the renovation of the exhaust fans in the Physics building. We had the opportunity to chat with the team driving this initiative.