Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory celebrated the opening of the Facility for Low-Energy Experiments on Buildings (FLEXLAB) in July of 2014. Designed to be the world’s most advanced building efficiency facility, the lab will support collaborative research with companies and utilities to reduce energy use by testing, evaluating, and deploying energy technologies as integrated systems under real-world conditions.
NorthStar broke ground in July of 2014 on a 50,000-sf radioisotope production facility in Beloit, Wis. The project will accommodate support operations for the company’s facility at the University of Missouri’s Research Reactor and is expected to reach completion by early 2015. A second construction phase will create a 20,000-sf addition and is slated for completion by year-end 2016.
Bayer CropScience will begin construction in late summer of 2014 on a $29.6 million expansion of its seed research headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The project includes extensive infrastructure development and construction of a 29,500-sf greenhouse to support the study of nematode traits, plant diseases, and insects.
The University of Bristol has completed construction on its $92 million Life Sciences building in the United Kingdom. Designed by Sheppard Robson, the 145,000-sf facility provides the School of Biological Sciences with teaching labs, seminar rooms, and offices arranged around a central atrium. A five-story research wing accommodates cleanrooms, imaging suites, labs, acoustic chambers, and greenhouse space. BREAM Excellent sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which features a 41-ft tall living wall.
The University of Nevada, Reno opened its expanded Earthquake Engineering Laboratory in June of 2014. Supporting advanced materials science research, the seismic research facility features four shake tables to simulate ground motions, a computer control room, offices, and a technology-rich 140-seat auditorium. Designed by BJG Architecture + Engineering, the $19 million expansion doubles the size of the existing 8,400-sf Large-Scale Structures Lab and features a heavily reinforced foundation and building envelope.
United Therapeutics is planning to build a biomedical R&D facility in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Comprising 250,000 sf of new construction and 150,000 sf of renovated space, the project will provide vivarium space for pigs and xenotransplantation research laboratories. The facility will enable the creation of genetically modified pig embryos which grow to be born with human lungs that can be harvested for transplants and tissue grafts.
The Coordinated Approval Process for Clinical Research (CAPCR) is a web-based application that streamlines the approval process required to conduct research using human subjects. Designed to help researchers and hospital staff navigate the process of coordinating and tracking clinical research within a hospital system, CAPCR gives an institution time to plan for the infrastructure a line of research will necessitate, and to mitigate any associated safety hazards. CAPCR automates the approval process, avoids duplication, and creates an online repository for study-related information, allowing faster approval times and greater access to information. It also eliminates the need for paper application forms, helps researchers ensure they have the necessary approvals for their studies, and provides an efficient way to obtain authorizations from multiple departments and track approvals online. The system is being marketed as a tool for use in other hospitals.
The University of Notre Dame is planning to build the $36 million Turbomachinery Facility in collaboration with General Electric, Indiana Michigan Power, and other industry partners in South Bend, Ind. Supporting the development of advanced gas turbine engine technologies, the 43,000-sf research and testing center will feature full-scale simulated operating environments including a $7.5 million, 10-megawatt jet propulsion engine rig.
NanoViricides has completed its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Shelton, Conn. Designed by Id3A, the renovation project created research labs, offices, and cGMP cleanroom suites for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in an existing 18,000-sf facility. MPH Engineering was the project manager and engineering consultant. Construction began on the facility in August of 2013 and validation commenced in June of 2014.
Louisiana State University is planning a $100 million expansion and renovation of the College of Engineering in Baton Rouge. The renovation of the three-story, 306,000-sf Patrick F. Taylor Hall will begin in November of 2014. In January of 2015, construction will commence on a 126,000-sf expansion providing engineering wet labs, teaching and research labs, faculty offices, classrooms, student support areas, and a 200-seat auditorium. The general contractor is Skanska USA Building in joint venture with MAPP Construction.
The University of Wyoming will begin construction in early 2015 on the $30 million High Bay Research Facility in Laramie. The 60,000-sf project will provide flexible, large-scale research space for advanced engineering experiments and will include a geomechanics lab, a core-flood suite, a structural engineering lab, and possibly a wind tunnel. The High Bay Research Facility will also house offices, conference rooms, and smaller conventional laboratories.
Rutgers University broke ground in June of 2014 on the $115 million Chemistry and Chemical Biology Building. Designed by Flad Architects, the four-story, 145,000-sf facility is sited on the Busch campus in Piscataway, N.J., and will support multidisciplinary collaboration with integrated teaching, research, and support space. Core facilities will include a microscopy suite, a class 100 chemistry cleanroom, and labs for optical spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.
The National Centre for Biosecurity and Infectious Disease (NCBID) will begin construction in early 2015 on a $65 million biocontainment facility in Wallaceville, New Zealand. Designed by Merrick, the project will support advanced diagnostic testing for new and emerging infectious diseases, including zoonotic diseases that can impact human health. The facility will replace the existing animal health laboratory at the site and will meet international biosecurity standards.
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital will begin construction in summer of 2014 on a $40 million research and teaching building in Liverpool, U.K. Designed by Hopkins Architects, the 75,000-sf, three-story project will provide research and teaching labs, offices, meeting rooms, lecture halls, breakout spaces, and a library. Comprising two wings adjoining a curved central atrium, the flexible facility will feature a corridor-free interior to encourage interaction and collaboration.
Central Washington University is building the $64 million Science II facility in Ellensburg, Wash. Ground was broken on the five-story, 120,000-sf project in May of 2014 and completion is expected in spring of 2016. Accommodating the departments of geological sciences and physics as well as programs in math and astronomy, the facility will feature an 80-seat lecture hall and planetarium, an observatory tower, optics and laser labs, an ice core lab, and an acoustic lab with an anechoic chamber.
