Industry News

Iowa State University (ISU) began construction in late 2006 on the first phase of a $51-million renovation of its Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory and Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The project includes renovations to the existing 100,000-sf facility and a 55,000-sf addition housing an advanced imaging facility with improved biocontainment capabilities. The second project phase entails renovations of a vacant small animal facility to enable future expansion. Both phases are expected to reach completion in late 2009.

The University of Kansas Medical Center celebrated the opening of the 205,000-sf Life Sciences Innovation Center in Kansas City in December of 2006. The five-story, $57.2-million facility was designed by Cannon Design of Grand Island, N.Y., and GLPM Architects of Lawrence, Kansas, to accommodate collaborative research in neuroscience, reproductive biology, and proteomics. The facility houses laboratories, conference rooms, and shared equipment areas to encourage team research.

Florida Atlantic University, in joint venture with the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, has opened the 40,000-sf Marine Science Education Building in Fort Pierce, Fla. The $11-million facility is sited near Harbor Branch’s campus and is owned by the University. The public-private partnership will provide space for biological, chemical, and marine science research in order to develop pharmaceutical products from marine organisms. The facility includes a conference area and laboratories with autoclave fermentation technology.

Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., is planning a multi-building expansion of its School of Medicine comprising up to five buildings over the next fifteen years. The first $86-million facility, the Learning and Knowledge Center, is being designed by NBBJ of San Francisco. The 120,000-sf facility will connect the medical school with Stanford’s main campus and will house a biomedical library, classrooms, and hospital simulation rooms. Groundbreaking is slated for 2008.

The University of Memphis is planning several projects to expand its Tennessee campus. The $46-million University Center will include dining, a small theater, and a 24-hour zone including an all-night computer lab. A $20-million dormitory will begin construction in 2008. Both projects are slated for completion in 2009. The University is also planning to build a $75-million music building and a $23 million science building.