San Diego County Public Health Lab

Commissioning the Future of Public Health: GMC’s Role in the New San Diego County Public Health Lab

In a post-pandemic world, few projects carry the public impact and long-term importance of a modern, high-performance public health laboratory. San Diego County’s new Public Health Lab and Medical Examiner Facility, a state-of-the-art facility designed to strengthen regional response to public health threats, is one such landmark investment. GMC Commissioning is proud to serve as the independent commissioning authority on this mission-critical project.

The new facility consolidates vital health services including public health testing, disease surveillance, toxicology, and autopsy services all under one roof. Designed to meet Biosafety Level 2 and 3 requirements, the lab includes advanced HVAC containment zones, specialized exhaust systems, redundant utility infrastructure, and stringent environmental controls. These systems must perform flawlessly, not only to protect lab personnel, but to ensure continuity of essential health operations for the entire county.

Commissioning on this project wasn’t just about documenting that systems turn on—it’s about validating the facility’s readiness to operate during emergencies, with fail-safe systems, maintainability, and life-safety compliance at the core.

GMC Commissioning’s work included Early Design Phase Involvement with reviews of MEP designs, control sequences and equipment selection to reduce rework and optimize infection containment.

Our Integrated System Testing of critical systems included isolation room pressurization, fume hoods, HEPA filtration systems, airlocks, emergency power, and water purification systems. Cross-system performance was tested under failure conditions to simulate real-world demands. All issues were tracked and closed via cloud-based commissioning software, giving project stakeholders real-time visibility into system readiness and resolution timelines.

GMC Commissioning verified that County operations staff received complete, comprehensible training, not just on individual components, but on whole-system behavior and emergency protocols.

Supporting LEED Platinum Certification

From the beginning, this project was envisioned as a national benchmark for high-performance healthcare and public sector buildings. The County pursued and achieved LEED Platinum certification, the highest level of sustainability recognition awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, and GMC Commissioning played a key role in making that possible. As the commissioning authority, we supported the LEED process through Enhanced Commissioning Services in accordance with LEED v4, including energy optimization support, systems manual development and post-occupancy review.

Achieving LEED Platinum for a facility of this complexity is a rare accomplishment. It reflects a deep commitment from the design, construction, management, and County teams—and the value of independent, performance-focused commissioning.

LOWE and the County of San Diego selected GMC Commissioning not just for our technical expertise, but also for our proven experience with medical, laboratory, and public-sector projects in the region. San Diego’s new Public Health Lab is a safeguard for the region’s health. GMC Commissioning is honored to have played a key role in ensuring its systems are resilient, reliable, and ready to serve the public from day one.