Biomedical

The University of Maryland School of Medicine broke ground in September of 2013 on the $305.4 million Health Sciences Facility III in Baltimore. The 10-story, 428,970-sf translational research building will provide advanced biomedical laboratories for the study of genomics, cardiovascular science, cancer, regenerative medicine, and neurology. The project team includes architectural firms HOK and Design Collective Inc. with Barton Malow Company as construction manager. Completion is expected in December of 2017.
 

The Karolinksa Institute will begin construction in late 2013 on the $190 million Biomedicum research facility in Solna, Sweden. The project team includes developer Akademiska Hus, Berg/C.F. Møller Architects, and general contractor Skanska. Providing open, flexible labs for biomedical research, the 678,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will also house offices, conference rooms, and a large central atrium.

The Hospital for Sick Children opened the $400 million Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning in Toronto in September of 2013. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and built by EllisDon, the 21-story, 750,000-sf tower features advanced laboratories, learning facilities, and interaction spaces to support collaborative biomedical research.

Winthrop University Hospital celebrated the topping out of the $65 million Winthrop Research Institute in September of 2013 in Mineola, N.Y. The five-story, 95,000-sf building was designed by Perkins Eastman and is slated for completion in 2015. The translational research and academic facility will provide classrooms, a clinical trials center, a simulation training suite, and core laboratories for the study of diabetes, obesity, cardiopulmonary disease, and neurology.

Non-residential construction volumes and pricing continued their upward trend in the second quarter, with prices increasing an average of 2 to 4 percent in the first half of 2013. These factors, along with growing market confidence and a narrowing labor supply, will continue to push new construction costs closer to the trend line for the near to medium term.

Translational Research Institute (TRI) is a joint venture between The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Queensland University of Technology’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Mater Research, and the Princess Alexandra Hospital Centres for Health Research.

Institutions that allow research strategy to drive their infrastructure will forge productive relationships with their primary investigators (PIs) from the start and yield better research results. The University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada, has successfully instituted procedures to take into account the financial and facility impact of potential research hires, which has positively impacted recruitment efforts and strengthened its research program.

The University of Florida celebrated the opening of the $45 million Clinical and Translational Science Building in Gainesville in August of 2013. The collaborative 120,000-sf project houses the 40,000-sf UF Institute on Aging, the Clinical and Translational Research Institute, conference rooms, training facilities, research laboratories, and clinical space. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Queensland Children's Hospital is building the $125 million Academic and Research Facility (A&RF) in Brisbane. Created in partnership with the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, and the Translational Research Institute, the ten-story project will provide five floors of wet and dry labs for advanced biomedical research. The remaining levels will house pathology services, retail, and parking. While the facility will house more than 450 researchers, the design allows for expansion.

Loyola University Chicago will break ground in August of 2013 on the $137 million Center for Translational Research and Education. Created in partnership with CHE-Trinity, the five-story, 227,000-sf facility will provide open labs and support space for research in epidemiology, public health, bioinformatics, nursing, and health sciences. The center will accommodate 72 principal investigators and will include a 250-seat auditorium. Occupancy is expected in August of 2016.

The University of Minnesota will break ground in fall of 2013 on a $63 million microbiology research facility in Minneapolis. The 80,000-sf project will be the final building to be constructed in UM's $292 million Biomedical Discovery District and will house the Department of Microbiology and other departments and schools within the Academic Health Center. Designed by BWBR Architects, the facility will provide labs, offices, collaboration areas, pharmaceutical R&D suites, and biocontainment space for the study of infectious diseases.

The Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI), an offshoot of the VGTI at Oregon Health and Science University, is dedicated to developing vaccines and immunotherapies to combat diseases such as AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, and diseases associated with emerging viral infections such as Dengue fever and pandemic influenza. The three-story, 101,000-sf facility contains 11,000 nsf of vivarium/containment space with integrated procedure and in-vivo imaging spaces, nine bioscience research lab groups, specialty support labs, offices, and conference space.

The University of Bristol is building the $82 million Life Sciences building in the United Kingdom. The 145,313-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, seminar rooms, and offices arranged around a central atrium. Supporting advanced biological sciences research, the building will include a five-story laboratory wing with microscopy and spectroscopy rooms, acoustic chambers, cleanrooms, and greenhouses. The project was designed by Sheppard Robson and is being built by VINCI Construction.

Pfizer is investing $130 million to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in Ireland. Pfizer's Grange Castle campus in Clondalkin will undergo a $100 million renovation and expansion to double current production of therapies for rheumatoid arthritis. Completion is expected in 2015. A $23 million upgrade of the Ringaskiddy campus will support the manufacture of new cancer treatments and other medicines.

The Mayo Clinic is expanding in Phoenix with the construction of a 380,000-sf, six-story cancer treatment center. The project includes a $181.5 million proton therapy facility located on the 100,000-sf concourse level of the building with two stories underground. Walls of high density concrete will provide radiation containment for the center, which will include four treatment rooms and its own central plant. Ground was broken on the facility in late 2011 and occupancy is expected in 2016.