Research and Development

The Department of Energy opened the $10 million Systems Engineering Building in August of 2015. Located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., the 22,000-sf facility provides labs, computational space, and offices to support research on power grid dynamics and renewable energy technologies. The project, which has been awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification, houses the Building Operations Control Center and the Power Electronics Laboratory.

Lancer Sales USA introduced a new line of laboratory steam sterilizers in August of 2015. Developed for the high performance sterilization of labware, processed materials, and research byproducts, the sterilizers can be installed in newly constructed laboratories or in existing facilities. The units are available in single and double door pass-through configurations with four cabinet sizes, and all models stand 74” high with vanishing vertical doors that eliminate the need for elevation clearance.

Texas A&M University opened an 11,000-sf avian health complex for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in August of 2015. Located in College Station, the climate-controlled aviary facility provides a BSL-2 biocontainment lab, a bird hospital, quarantine suites, three isolation rooms, classrooms, and offices.

The College of New Jersey is planning to build a facility for STEM education in Ewing to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering, the 89,000-sf project will feature collaborative research suites for biomedical engineering and computer science, as well as labs for physiology, robotics, system dynamics, and thermo-fluids. The facility will include a high-performance computing cluster, a mechanical engineering design studio, and a metal fabrication and assembly workshop.

Xerox Canada is planning to build the Advanced Materials Manufacturing Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. The project is supported by CA$25 million in funding from the National Research Council of Canada and will enable the development of smart materials for the medical, automotive, aerospace, and defense industries. Designed to accelerate the commercialization of research discoveries, the facility will provide infrastructure and expertise to both the private and public sectors.

Clayton State University opened its $18 million Science Building in August of 2015 in Morrow, Ga. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 58,610-sf facility provides eight research labs, eight teaching labs, two 64-seat classrooms, two 36-seat classrooms, and two seminar rooms. The three-story building houses stacked biology and chemistry suites, each integrating research, prep, and teaching space.

The University of Sheffield is planning to build the $25 million Structural Dynamics Laboratory for Verification and Validation in the United Kingdom. Located in the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the facility will enable industry and academia to engage in collaborative research and development in the field of structural dynamics. Enabling full-scale testing of engineering structures, systems, and components, the project will feature a modular environmental chamber with sophisticated controls for humidity, temperature, wind speed, and weather conditions.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) is constructing a 950,000-sf replacement facility at Fort Detrick, Md. The $800 million project will provide BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 laboratory space to support advanced biomedical research. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the project in August of 2009 and completion is expected in 2017.

The University of Missouri opened the MU Metagenomics Center in August of 2015 in Columbia. The laboratory is located in a shared 60,000-sf facility at the Discovery Ridge Research Park and will serve as a comprehensive resource for microbiological research. Featuring advanced technologies for DNA extraction, RNA sequencing, and informatics analysis, the center will process samples of microbiota obtained from humans, animals, plants, and soil. 

SUNY Upstate Medical Center began construction in June of 2015 on the second phase of the Central New York Biotech Accelerator (CNYBAC) in Syracuse, N.Y. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the project includes the build out of the second and third floors of the facility to house the Upstate Medical Innovation and Novel Discovery Center (MIND) and the Molecular Pathology Next Generation Sequencing Lab.

The University of Bristol is initiating an expansion of the Queens School of Engineering in the United Kingdom. The 15,400-sf wing will provide a multipurpose teaching auditorium, an electrical engineering teaching lab, a propulsion lab, research offices, and student meeting space. The general contractor for the project is Willmott Dixon with WSP-Parsons Brinckerhoff as structural and civil engineering consultant. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2017.
 

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center will begin construction in early fall of 2015 on the $16 million Plough Center for Sterile Drug Delivery Systems in Memphis. An existing 32,000-sf facility will be renovated to support the manufacture of pharmaceutical products for clinical trials. Designed by brg3s Architects and ETFC Architects to meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards, the center will feature three 800-sf modular cleanroom pods created by G-CON Manufacturing.

Tsinghua University is expanding the Jinping Underground Laboratory in Liangshan, China. The project will increase the size of the lab, which is located 7,874 feet below the surface, to 1,291,000 sf. Supporting advanced research on dark matter, the expansion will allow more experiments to run concurrently in a location shielded from interfering cosmic rays. Completion is expected in late 2015. The Jinping Underground Laboratory opened in December of 2010.

Nestlé opened its $50 million Research and Development Center in July of 2015 in Solon, Ohio. The 144,000-sf facility accommodates approximately 120 employees engaged in culinary, consumer, and engineering research. Construction began on the project in June of 2013.

Centennial College is planning to build the $42 million Aerospace Campus in Toronto. Designed by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (MJMA) with Stantec as engineering consultant, the project includes renovation of the historic de Havilland Building at Downsview Park to provide classrooms and laboratories for programs in aviation. The campus will also house research and development space to support the development of advanced aircraft manufacturing technologies. Occupancy is expected in late 2017.