Originally constructed in 1903, the registered historic Old Chem building was fully retrofitted to become the Sapp Center for Science Teaching and Learning to support interdisciplinary science education at Stanford. The new facility supports biology and chemistry teaching with classrooms, laboratories, study areas, offices, a library, and large auditorium.

Taylor Engineers' low energy HVAC design consists of VAV air handlers that provide tempered air to 4-pipe fan coils at each zone. This innovative design significantly minimizes cooling and reheat energy associated with the high laboratory airflow rates. The laboratory exhaust system was designed based on wind tunnel studies to optimize the exhaust stacks and allow for variable flow exhaust with no bypass air.