Animal Research

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.

AstraZeneca will break ground in early 2015 on its $500 million Global R&D Centre and Corporate Headquarters in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Providing sophisticated pharmaceutical discovery and development facilities, the project will include space for biologics research, high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry, pre-clinical research, and clinical development. The 11-acre campus will accommodate approximately 2,000 employees.

The University of Edinburgh will break ground in February of 2015 on a $50 million expansion of its Easter Bush campus. Designed by Atkins Global, the project is part of the University's master plan to create the European Centre of Excellence in Animal Sciences and Food Security and comprises an innovation center, a campus hub, and a multistory atrium.

Texas A&M University broke ground on the $53 million Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in November of 2014. The 90,000-sf facility will house advanced technologies for sample testing to support animal and human health as well as food safety. Designed by Perkins+Will, the project will feature integrated laboratories, a full-service necropsy suite, and BSL-2 and BSL-3 areas. Vaughn Construction will begin building the facility in spring of 2015 with completion in approximately 18 months.

The Jackson Laboratory will begin construction in 2015 on the $21 million Center for Biometric Analysis in Bar Harbor, Maine. Supporting research on the genetic origins of disease, the four-story, 16,000-sf facility will house advanced technologies for imaging, measurement, gene sequencing, and data processing. The estimated duration of construction is 18 months.

Dalhousie University opened the Zebrafish Core Facility in October of 2014 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Located in the Life Sciences Research Institute, the $1.8 million laboratory will support interdisciplinary biomedical research on cancer, neuroscience, and genetics. Housing up to 75,000 adult fish, the 4,000-sf facility features a molecular lab and specialized rooms for cell and tissue studies.