Animal Research

The United Kingdom's Medical Research Council is planning to build the £75 million London Institute of Medical Sciences. Designed by Hawkins\Brown, the 110,000-sf project will provide collaborative biomedical research facilities including two CL-2 biocontainment labs, vibration-mitigated imaging suites, core biotechnology labs, write-up areas, and a data center. The nine-story facility is being created in partnership with Imperial College London and will accommodate up to 45 research groups currently dispersed around Hammersmith Hospital.

Texas Tech University is planning to build a $90 million facility for the School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo. Located at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, the two-building complex will include a clinical skills training center for large animal procedures. The school will accommodate 60 students per year for a total enrollment of 240 for the four-year program, as well as serving up to 200 graduate students who are not seeking a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Construction could begin as early as fall of 2019 with completion in fall of 2021.

Memorial University is building the $325 million Core Science Facility in St. John's, Newfoundland. Designed by HOK Architects and Hearn Fougere Architects to promote integration and interaction, the multidisciplinary project comprises three tower blocks offering teaching and research labs, offices, and technology-rich learning environments for the departments of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and electrical and computer engineering.

Ross University’s School of Veterinary Medicine opened the $10.5 million Research and Pathology Building in July of 2018 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts. Providing eight laboratories, the 19,000-sf facility offers 13,000 sf of research space, 4,000 sf of student space including a 1,500-sf learning center, and 2,000 sf of pathology space with suites for necropsy and histology. Designed to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and interaction, the building will support the One Health initiative in addressing the interconnectivity of animal, human, and environmental health.

The University of Aberystwyth is planning to create VetHub 1, a human and animal health research facility in the United Kingdom. Located on the Penglais campus in Aberystwyth, the project includes the renovation and expansion of an existing 5,231-sf structure to provide three BSL-3 labs, two BSL-2 labs, and associated office spaces. The facility will support the development of new products, diagnostic tests, and strategies for the nation's agricultural, veterinary, and biotechnology industries. 

Purdue University began construction in June of 2018 on a $14 million addition to the Martin C. Jischke Hall of Biomedical Engineering in West Lafayette, Ind. Designed by BSA LifeStructures, the 29,500-sf Innovation Wing will provide the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering with open-concept wet labs; translational research labs, including a behavioral core; a multidisciplinary student design lab; and support spaces. The addition will also offer active learning environments, offices for faculty and graduate students, and interactive team areas.

Memorial University of Newfoundland is building the CAD$36 million Animal Resource Centre in St. Johns. Replacing two existing buildings, the collaborative 26,000-sf research facility will include rodent production and housing areas, surgical suites for small and large animals, physiological testing areas, and an Animal Containment Level 2 environment for behavioral studies. The project was designed by NXL Architects and will accommodate mice, rats, woodchucks, and Yucatan minipigs.

The University of Plymouth opened the £17 million Derriford Research Facility in May of 2018 in the United Kingdom. Sited adjacent to the Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry at Plymouth Science Park, the 25,000-sf building is the headquarters of the Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine.

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is building the $200 million Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Neuroscience Research Building in Pasadena. Designed by SmithGroup to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, the three-story, 150,000-sf facility will provide wet, dry, and computational research labs, a teaching lab, a vivarium, a 150-seat lecture hall, conference rooms, and offices for investigators and staff.

The University of Edinburgh opened the £23 million Charnock Bradley Building in May of 2018 in Scotland. Located on the Easter Bush campus, the 75,000-sf facility is part of the school's master plan to create the European Centre of Excellence in Animal Sciences and Food Security. Designed by Atkins Global, the project houses teaching labs, student services, exhibition space, and the Roslin Innovation Centre, a business incubator with research and office space for startups and industry partners.

Zoetis broke ground in April of 2018 on a 463,000-sf animal vaccine center in Suzhou, China. Combining research and development operations with integrated manufacturing and supply, the facility will produce vaccines for swine, cattle, fish, and companion animals. Offering sophisticated innovation suites and certified GMP laboratories, the project will support research on disease threats prevalent in China with a primary focus on aquaculture.

A new approach to the design of diagnostic labs in resource-constrained settings reduces risk and improves outcomes while accelerating the project timeline and lowering costs. The approach is based on the concept of One Prototype, which uses similar design modules as a starting point for each lab facility, whether new construction or renovation, no matter what the scale.

The University of Otago is constructing a NZD$50 million animal research building on its south campus in Dunedin, New Zealand. Located near the School of Medicine, the five-story, 42,367-sf facility will feature advanced technologies to optimize the welfare of the mice, rats, guinea pigs, birds, and pigs utilized in the University's research programs. Construction began in August of 2016 and completion is expected in early 2019. 

The Texas A&M University System is planning to construct the $22.8 million Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach Center at West Texas A&M University in Canyon. Strategically sited adjacent to the new Agricultural Sciences Complex and the relocated Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab, the facility will accommodate programs for two Texas A&M campuses, Canyon and College Station. The VERO Center will offer classrooms, labs, and livestock facilities for experiential animal sciences education and training. Completion is expected in 2020.

Purdue University dedicated its $60 million, 122,462-sf animal sciences complex in March of 2018 in West Lafayette, Ind. Ground was broken in November of 2015 on the project, which includes the Hobart and Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences, the Land O' Lakes Center for Experiential Learning, and the Purina Pavilion.