Academic Medical

Boston University opened the $140 million Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering (CILSE) in September of 2017. Designed by Payette, the nine-story, 170,000-sf facility houses the Center for Systems Neuroscience, the Biological Design Center, the Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, and the Center for Sensory Communication and Neuroengineering Technology. The interdisciplinary building features a human Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) suite, a Siemens 3 Tesla MRI, and space for behavioral testing and computational research.

Armstrong State University broke ground in late August of 2017 on the $22 million Waters College of Health Professions in Savannah, Ga. Designed to accommodate team-based medical education, the interactive 75,000-sf facility will feature technology-rich simulation training labs for undergraduate programs including nursing, public health, physical therapy, and health administration. The project is being created in collaboration with Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, with which Armstrong State’s Savanna campus will eventually merge.

There are positive signs that funding for scientific research will not only be maintained, but will once again increase. Earlier this month, the Senate Appropriations Committee overwhelmingly approved $36.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health for the upcoming fiscal year. If approved intact, it will mark the third consecutive year that the NIH receives a $2 billion increase. The House Appropriations Committee already approved a $1.1 billion increase.

Saint Paul College opened the $20 million Health and Science Alliance Center in September of 2017 in St. Paul, Minn. Designed by Bentz/Thompson/Rietow and Oliver & Associates with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the four-story, 45,000-sf facility provides two flexible classrooms for STEM and health science programs, four science labs, two simulation labs, three general classrooms, and three classrooms supporting industry partnerships.

The United States Senate’s Committee on Appropriations approved a bipartisan bill in early September that provides $36.1 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2018, representing a $2 billion increase from 2017. The House of Representatives approved a $1.1 billion increase in NIH funding, with the actual amount expected to be closer to that allocated by the Senate bill.

SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital broke ground in August of 2017 on a $550 million academic medical center in St. Louis. Sited adjacent to the existing hospital campus, the 800,000-sf project will include construction of a nine-story tower and an adjoining three-story ambulatory care building. Featuring 316 private inpatient rooms, the facility will provide a Level I trauma center, an emergency department, intensive care units, and a cafeteria. Completion is expected in September of 2020. 

Colorado State University broke ground in August of 2017 on the $23.3 million Health Education Outreach Center in Fort Collins. Designed by Hord Coplan Macht to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 39,600-sf facility will provide advanced teaching labs for anatomy and neuroanatomy, study areas, and space for community events. The project team includes Research Facilities Design as laboratory design consultant and general contractor Haselden Construction.

The South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory broke ground in August of 2017 on a $58 million expansion and renovation of its Brookings facility. Located on the campus of South Dakota State University, the project includes 81,000 sf of new construction, including 3,762 sf of BSL-3 space and BSL-2E necropsy space. The existing laboratory space will subsequently be renovated. The project will support diagnostic testing and vaccine development for the prevention of infectious diseases. Completion is expected in 2020.

Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University are partnering to create an academic health center in Portland. The $100 million facility will house the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, PSU’s Graduate School of Education, a dental clinic for Portland Community College, and offices for the city of Portland. Construction will begin in fall of 2017 on the nine-story, 200,000-sf facility. Completion is expected in 2020. 

The University of Arizona is constructing the $107.5 million Bioscience Research Laboratories (BSRL) building in Tucson. Supporting collaborative translational research on the molecular basis of human health, aging, and disease, the four-story, 100,000-sf facility will provide wet labs, imaging suites, a genomics core, and space for informatics.

Howard Community College opened the $76.7 million Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) Building in August of 2017 in Columbia, Md. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross, the 145,300-sf facility provides dedicated labs for programs in engineering, genetics, geology, computer forensics, cybersecurity, and plant science. The project accommodates 1,000 classroom seats and offers study areas for groups and individuals.   

NYU Langone Health opened an expansion of the Perlmutter Cancer Center in Huntington in August of 2017. Built to accommodate 30,000 patient visits annually, the 22,000-sf facility provides 24 infusion bays, 16 exam rooms, diagnostic laboratories, and an on-site pharmacy. The Perlmutter Cancer Center also has locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

The University of Edinburgh is planning to construct the Centre for Tissue Regeneration and Repair in Scotland in the United Kingdom. Designed by Stantec, the four-story interdisciplinary building will provide sophisticated research facilities for the study of stem cells, inflammatory mediators, and niche biology. Accommodating up to 500 researchers, the center will feature a collaborative double-height laboratory zone and space for the development of advanced imaging technologies.

Five years ago, Tradeline sought experts to predict the future—specifically, the future of research lab design and construction. Today, we take a look back at those predictions, and gather some new ones, looking at trends in research programs and funding, and how those trends affect the decisions institutions are making when they build and renovate their laboratory spaces.

Moravian College completed construction in August of 2017 on the $23 million Miksiewicz Center for Health Sciences in Bethlehem, Pa. Designed by Earl Swensson Associates (ESa), the 55,000-sf academic facility offers classrooms, faculty offices, labs, simulation suites, student lounges, and a virtual cadaver lab. The three-story building will accommodate programs in nursing, public health, informatics, and undergraduate health sciences. J.G.