The Royal Centre for Disease Control was dedicated in November of 2015 in Thimbu, Bhutan. The $4.9 million public health laboratory features a BSL-3 research facility built in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization. The secure three-story building will support the detection, study, and prevention of infectious diseases including tuberculosis, HIV, and water-borne pathogens.
Swarthmore College will begin construction in spring of 2017 on the $120 million Biology, Engineering, and Psychology Building (BEP) in Swarthmore, Pa. The facility will be developed according to the College’s Environmental Sustainability Framework, a standard equivalent to LEED Platinum, with some elements exceeding LEED Platinum criteria. The project will utilize sophisticated energy modeling technologies to optimize post-occupancy performance and will include an extensive geothermal system. Completion is expected in August of 2020.
National Taiwan University Hospital is building a 500-bed comprehensive cancer center in Taipei. Providing 15 floors above ground and four below, the 1.3 million-sf hospital will house surgical suites, clinical offices, inpatient rooms, a preventative medicine center, and biomedical and stem cell research labs. Designed by HKS with J.J. Pan and Partners as architect of record, the facility will offer proton therapy, cell therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Occupancy is expected in 2018.
San Diego State University broke ground on the $90 million Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex in November of 2015. Designed by AC Martin to promote interaction and collaboration, the five-story, 85,000-sf facility will provide 11,500 sf of instructional space, 17 multidisciplinary labs with advanced instrumentation, and an entrepreneurship innovation center.
The Department of Energy opened the $143 million Wang Hall at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in November of 2015. The 149,000-sf facility will house the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) and the Computational Research Division as well as providing a center of operations for the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet).
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will begin construction in January of 2016 on the $28 million Advanced Aerodynamics Laboratory and Wind Tunnel in Daytona Beach, Fla. Located at the school's research park, the 50,000-sf project will support collaborative R&D with industry partners in areas including aviation, engineering, unmanned systems, and advanced materials.
Eli Lilly and Company is initiating a $70 million expansion of its global research and development campus in Indianapolis. Providing an additional 130,000 sf of flexible lab space, the project will support collaborative, multidisciplinary research on small molecule pharmaceutical therapies. Completion is expected in 2017.
Purdue University broke ground in November of 2015 on two facilities for the Department of Animal Sciences in West Lafayette, Ind. The three-story, 90,000-sf Hobart and Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences will provide research laboratories, classrooms designed for interactive and team-based learning, conference rooms for extension activities, and open spaces to facilitate faculty and student interactions.
Dow Chemical Company will begin construction in late 2015 on the 145,300-sf Middle East Research and Development Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Designed to attain LEED Silver sustainable design certification, the facility will feature laboratories for the creation of advanced technologies for water, oil, and gas processing as well as the development of innovative construction materials and coatings.
UMass Dartmouth broke ground in October of 2015 on a $55 million facility for the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) in New Bedford. Designed by Ellenzweig, the 76,000-sf project will provide collaborative research space for the study of oceanography, climate change, coastal preservation, renewable energy, and commercial fishing methods. Created in partnership with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, the building will feature a seawater research lab and a high bay area.
Texas Tech opened the $14.3 million Bayer Plant Science building in October of 2015 in Lubbock, Texas. Accommodating programs for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the 21,000-sf facility provides open teaching and research labs, 11 faculty offices, 22 graduate student spaces, conference rooms, and support. The project was funded in part by Bayer CropScience and features specialized areas for plant and soil science classes as well as a courtyard for outdoor learning.
The National University of Ireland celebrated the opening of a $22 million biomedical research facility at University Hospital Galway in late September of 2015. Housing the Lamb Institute for Translational Research and the Health Research Board's Clinical Research Facility, the five-story, 57,500-gsf project features open, flexible laboratories designed to promote interaction and collaboration. Construction began on the facility in fall of 2013. The general contractor for the project was BAM Construction.
Illumina is expanding its San Diego operations with the development of a 300,000-sf facility for the production of technologies for genetic analysis. Designed by Ewing Cole, the project will create advanced manufacturing space, laboratories, offices, warehousing, and support. BNBuilders is providing both pre-construction and construction services for the interior buildout of the facility as well as the expansion of the central plant. Completion is expected in late 2016.
The University of Massachusetts broke ground on the $52 million Design Building in October of 2015 in Amherst. The 87,200-sf project will house the Department of Architecture as well as accommodating programs in building construction technology, landscape architecture, and regional planning. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates of Boston, the four-story facility will provide classrooms, research areas, materials testing labs, studios, offices, conference rooms, lounges, and a café.
Construction began in October of 2015 on the $59 million (NZD$87m) National Biocontainment Laboratory in Upper Hutt, New Zealand. Designed by Merrick & Company to meet international biosafety standards, the secure facility will provide advanced labs for infectious disease detection, diagnosis, and response. The completed project will also offer veterinary diagnostics to support international trade assurances of the status of animal diseases. Full operations will commence in 2019.
