The Measurement, Materials & Sustainable Environment Center (M2SEC) at the University of Kansas School of Engineering is a 46,735-sf interdisciplinary engineering research facility focused on energy/transportation, global change, composite materials/technology, and sustainable building practices. Funded in part by a $12.3 million National Institute of Standards and Technology grant, the flexible research environments include:
Montclair State University broke ground on the $55 million Center for Environmental and Life Sciences in September of 2013. Expanding the University's science infrastructure by 50 percent, the 107,500-gsf facility will provide seven interdisciplinary group research suites, six core labs, five office areas, classrooms, seminar rooms, a microscopy suite, and a 150-seat lecture hall.
Georgia Tech’s Carbon-Neutral Energy Solutions (C-NES) building sets a new standard for sustainable design for buildings of its type by optimizing passive energy technologies, reducing energy demand, and maximizing the use of renewable energy: A prototype living, learning laboratory that offers lessons for future net-zero attempts. Net-zero energy defies the historical reality that laboratories can consume 10 times the energy of a typical office building, and one six-foot fume hood consumes as much energy annually as a 2,500-sf home.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School is initiating an energy retrofit of the Lazare Medical Research Facility in Worcester. Airside solutions provider Aircuity will install demand control ventilation (DCV) systems on a total of nine floors, including eight floors of laboratory space and a vivarium level, to provide significant cost savings and optimal indoor air quality. The retrofit is expected to reach completion in spring of 2014.
The University of Delaware will officially open the Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering (ISE) Laboratory in Newark in October of 2013. Designed by Ayers/Saint/Gross Architects, the four-story, 194,000-gsf facility provides eight general instruction classrooms and four problem-based instructional areas with adjoining labs to support interactive learning. The research wing features a 10,000-sf nanofabrication facility, a synthesis lab, an advanced materials characterization lab, and an imaging and microscopy suite.
Richard Stockton College opened the $39.5 million United Sciences Center in September of 2013 in Galloway Township, N.J. The 66,350-sf facility provides technology-rich laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, and computer labs. The sustainably designed building utilizes Richard Stockton College's existing geothermal heating and cooling system. The project team included EYP Architecture and Engineering, construction manager Bovis Lend Lease, and general contractor Dobco Group.
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) is proving that extensive planning and looking beyond typical short-term measures can net significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as cost savings, even in high-powered lab facilities. In only the third year of a 17-year project, CUMC has realized a 4 percent drop in greenhouse gasses, and a 15 percent drop in utility costs.
A 168,300-sf addition and 43,000-sf renovation to the Marshall Conant Science Center allows Bridgewater State University to consolidate biology, chemistry, earth science, geography, physics, math, and computer science departments under one roof to accommodate the 10-fold increase in full-time enrollment since the center was built in 1964. The project transforms an outdated building into a state-of-the-art science facility that revitalizes the heart of the main campus by improving the campus space outside the building and fundamentally changing the way science is studied within.
The National University of Ireland, Galway has begun construction on the $27 million Clinical Research Facility and Translational Research Facility (CRF-TRF). The four-story, 57,000-gsf project is located on the grounds of University Hospital Galway to support collaborative research and patient care. The ground and first floors will house the Health Research Board (HRB) Clinical Research Facility which will include an area for the study of regenerative medicine.
The University of Waterloo opened the $15 million Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems (CIARS) in Ontario in September of 2013. Providing advanced facilities for the testing of electromagnetic devices, the project comprises four interconnected indoor laboratories, one outdoor lab, and a computational suite. The 5,000-sf project features a unique multi-configuration electromagnetic radiation lab with an anechoic chamber and terahertz measurement capabilities.
The Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) opened its 330,000-sf facility in Waco, Texas, in September of 2013. The project included renovation of an existing manufacturing facility to provide advanced laboratories, workforce training centers, and business incubator space. The BRIC houses several of Baylor University's research institutes, including the the Center for Spatial Research and the Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics, and Engineering Research (CASPER).
The University of Michigan will begin construction in fall of 2013 on a $50 million academic facility for the School of Nursing. The 78,000-sf building will feature active learning classrooms and a technology-rich clinical training center with simulation suites. The facility will also accommodate a small number of faculty offices. Ground was broken on the project in April of 2013 and occupancy is expected in 2015.
With academic research funding either flat or slumping, it’s time to rethink current laboratory design standards. Concurrent with the funding slide is a hike in both direct costs (salaries, for example) and indirect research costs like spending on facilities operation, equipment, and labor. At the same time, the demand for space continues to increase unabated.
The new College of Pharmacy building at the University of Rhode Island allows the College’s scattered facilities to be housed under one roof for the first time.
Auburn University opened the $28.8 million Mike Hubbard Center for Advanced Science, Innovation and Commerce in September of 2013. Located in the Auburn Research Park, the 84,000-sf facility will support programs in energy, engineering, genomics, ecology, water and food safety, and information science. General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie began building the center in late 2011. The facility provides 20 technology-rich laboratories, a supercomputing suite, seminar rooms, and two large cranes for biofuels research.
