Animal Research

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to construct a $42.8 million meat science research facility. Supporting instruction and research for the Department of Animal Sciences, the project will foster collaboration with industry partners including meat companies and food safety agencies. The facility will feature a BSL-2 isolatable pilot plant for the study of meat pathogens and the development of intervention strategies. Occupancy is expected in 2017.

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory broke ground on the $4.5 million Center for Marine Functional Genomic Studies in late October of 2010. Located in Salisbury Cove, Maine, the 10,900-sf facility will provide multidisciplinary research labs, core facilities, a 2,500-sf aquatic animal facility, a zebra fish room, and support space. The sustainably designed building will also house the Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Medicine and Biology and research space for Maine's IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE).

Washington State University initiated construction on the $96 million Veterinary Medical Research Building in Pullman in October of 2010. The five-story, 77,250-nsf facility will house research and instructional space for the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Department of Animal Sciences, and the Program in Neuroscience. The interdisciplinary facility will feature advanced research laboratories designed to eliminate electromagnetic interference and vibration. Completion is expected in March of 2013.

The University of Guelph opened the $62 million Pathobiology and Animal Health Laboratory in October of 2010. The four-story, 126,000-sf facility houses teaching and research labs, seminar rooms, offices, and a 120-seat lecture hall. The facility will support research on zoonotic diseases and pathogens and includes a post-mortem diagnostic suite. 

Boehringer Ingelheim began building a €40 million animal research center in October of 2010 in Kirchrode, Germany. The facility will provide a laboratory for the development of animal vaccines and 16 compartments to accommodate up to 500 pigs and 100 cattle. Completion is expected in late 2011 with occupancy in 2012. The facility will house approximately 50 researchers.

The Jackson Laboratory completed construction of the $6 million Importation/Isolation Facility in Bar Harbor, Maine, in September of 2010. Housing 22,500 sf of laboratory space, the three-story facility was designed by RMW architecture & interiors of Sacramento, Calif., and built by Consigli Construction of Portland, Maine. The MEP engineer was WBRC A/E of Bangor, Maine, with Becker Structural of Portland as structural engineer.

The University of Florida will open its $58 million Small Animal Hospital in Gainesville on November 1, 2010. Featuring expanded treatment and examination areas, the 100,000-sf facility includes a cardiac catheterization laboratory and a linear accelerator. Construction began on the hospital in fall of 2008.

Cornell University opened the $70 million New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center in Ithaca in October of 2010. The three-story, 126,000-gsf facility houses seven BSL-3 labs, BSL-2 labs, a necropsy facility able to accommodate large animals, and diagnostic suites. The center consolidates operations previously dispersed in 12 locations and can accommodate over 200 researchers.

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences has selected Skanska to construct a 50,000-sm veterinary and domestic animal center in Uppsala, Sweden. Developed in partnership with Akademiska Hus, the SEK 1.09 billion project will include a veterinary hospital, teaching and research laboratories, and stables. Construction will begin on the sustainably designed facility in October of 2010 with completion expected by spring of 2014.

The University of Guelph will open the $70 million Pathobiology and Animal Health Laboratory in October of 2010. The four-story building houses research, teaching, and animal care facilities for the Ontario Veterinary College. The project was designed by Young + Wright / IBI Group Architects and built by Bird Construction Co. The facility includes a 120-seat lecture hall, a teaching lab, seminar rooms, research laboratories, and offices.

The University of California Davis is planning to construct the 19,124-sf Respiratory Diseases Center. Supported by $14.2 million in federal stimulus funding, the facility will house research laboratories, offices, animal holding, an inhalation exposure facility, and a pulmonary function testing lab.

The Oregon Zoo will begin construction in September of 2010 on a $6.4 million veterinary medical center in Portland. The 15,000-sf clinic will include a quarantine area and species-specific holding spaces. The general contractor for the project is Skanska USA Building. Completion is expected in summer of 2011.

A new Canadian biorefining technology has been adopted by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a recommended technology for the destruction of all transmissible spongiform encephalopathy and microbiological disease agents. The 175 member countries of the OIE formally approved the technology at the 78th General Session held in Paris in May of 2010 for incorporation into the 2010 Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

Oregon Health and Science University will build two research support facilities at the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Portland, Ore. Supported by $4 million in federal stimulus funding, the project includes outdoor group housing for non-human primates and a 2,344-nsf clinic and hospital facility.

The University of Queensland opened the $100 million School of Veterinary Science in Gatton in August of 2010. The teaching and research complex includes the Veterinary Science Building, the UQ Veterinary Medical Centre Pre-Clinical Teaching Laboratories, the Veterinary Clinical Studies Building, and the Equine and Companion Animal Hospitals. The school will accommodate 550 veterinary science students.