Animal Research

Nanotherapeutics is building the $135 million Advanced Development and Manufacturing Center in Alachua, Fla. Designed by RS&H, the 165,000-sf project will support vaccine development and production utilizing advanced biomanufacturing technologies. Ground was broken on the facility in October of 2013 and completion is expected by 2016. Nanotherapeutics is contracted to the Department of Defense to develop medical countermeasures to chemical and biological threats as well as infectious disease outbreaks.

Brigham Young University-Idaho began constructing the 108,000-sf Science and Technology Building in Rexburg in March of 2015. Designed by CRSA of Salt Lake City, the three-story facility will provide classrooms, labs, and faculty offices for the Departments of Animal and Food Science, Applied Plant Science, Computer Information Technology, and Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. The general contractor for the project is Headwaters Construction. Completion is expected in fall of 2016.

Researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) have completed a study of a therapeutic candidate for the Marburg virus in a BSL-4 research facility in Fort Belvoir, Va. The study was conducted entirely under Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) conditions, setting a precedent for GLP testing of medical products for BSL-4 pathogens. This may facilitate rapid evaluation and licensing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The University of Arkansas will begin construction in mid-2015 on the $16.3 million Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville. Designed by WER Architects, the 60,000-sf facility will provide multidisciplinary laboratories and greenhouses for plant and animal science as well as water quality research. The project will include a 300-seat auditorium and administrative offices for the UA Agricultural Experiment Station. The general contractor for the facility is Nabholz Construction.

Nasa Ames Research Center is planning to construct a life biosciences laboratory in Moffett Field, Calif. The two-story, 40,000-sf facility will provide 19,000 sf of BSL-2 wet labs and support and 21,000 sf of office and conference space. With a project cost of up to $60 million, the fumehood-rich building will include procedure rooms, a radiation lab, environmental rooms, and a tissue culture suite. LEED Silver or Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the laboratory.

The National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases is planning to build a $2.5 million viral diagnostic and research laboratory (VDRL) in Kolkata. Sited on a 10,000-sf area of land, the BSL-3 facility will support the detection of emerging infectious diseases as well as accommodating research on virology and immunology. The project is one of 10 regional laboratories that will be constructed in India to ensure rapid response to viral outbreaks and epidemics.

The University of Georgia dedicated the $97.7 million Veterinary Medical Center in Athens in February of 2015. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 300,000-sf complex includes an education building and an animal hospital. The project provides the College of Veterinary Medicine with a 160-seat auditorium, an 80-seat active learning classroom, two smaller classrooms, and an enhanced large and small animal teaching hospital. Turner Construction began building the center in spring of 2013.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology completed construction in January of 2015 on China's first maximum containment biosafety laboratory. Located in the Hubei province, the facility will support research on Class 4 Pathogens (P4) including Ebola and smallpox. The lab was created in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Institut Merieux, a French biomedical firm. Construction began on the project in July of 2011.

The National University of Ireland Galway began construction in January of 2015 on the 88,000-sf Human Biology Building. Designed by Scott Talon Walker Architects, the five-story teaching and research facility will provide labs, lecture halls, and offices for the departments of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology. The Human Biology Building will also include a vivarium, a microscopy suite, and anatomy and mortuary space. The construction cost of the project is $34 million and the general contractor is BAM Group Ireland.

The New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is building a new 6,500-sf facility in Durham. Located on the campus of the University of New Hampshire, the $2.5 million project will support the detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases. The facility represents a partnership between the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food.

Qatar University has selected WorkingBuildings of Atlanta to design, build, and provide operational support for the new BSL-3 Select Agent Laboratory in Doha, Qatar. Located at the New Research Complex, the facility will support the study of emerging infectious diseases and other biological threats. The laboratory will enable rapid response to regional public health issues as well as accommodating investigations involving biological or chemical terrorism.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica will invest $110 million over the next four years to expand its operations in Iowa, enabling the company to increase production capacity and optimize manufacturing processes. In Ames, a 52,088-sf animal health research facility will be built in the Iowa State Research Park. On the Fort Dodge campus, a new Veterinary Research Center and a high-speed fill and freeze-drying suite will be constructed and existing infrastructure systems will be upgraded.

The three-story International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan is one of the largest vaccine research centers in the world and the largest in North America. It is connected by a walkway to the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) laboratory building in a cluster of life sciences R&D facilities at the University. The facilities operate together as VIDO-InterVac, one of only a few BSL-3 facilities in the world that can accommodate disease and vaccine research involving animals as large as cows.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning a 100,000-sf expansion and renovation of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL) in Athens. The $155 million project will support research on avian influenza and other infectious diseases at the 35-building complex. SEPRL was awarded $45 million in federal funding in December of 2014 to initiate the design and construction process.

Rajiv Gandhi National Centre for Biotechnology is planning to build a BSL-4 laboratory for avian influenza research in Thiruvananthapuram, India. The $9.7 million facility will be housed in the Microbial Containment Complex and will meet international safety standards. The project will support diagnostic testing for infectious diseases including H5N1, Ebola, Nipah, and Crimean Congo virus.