CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is initiating an expansion of Building 887 to accommodate neutrino detection experiments in Prévessin, France. The general contractor for the 38,750-sf project is OMBA Impianti & Engineering and the value of the construction contract is $10.3 million. Completion of the building, including specialized foundations, steel structures, and facades, is expected in February of 2016.
Novo Nordisk began construction in May of 2015 on a $223 million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Kalundborg, Denmark. The 81,000-sf project will support the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients for hemophelia treatments. The plant is expected to be fully operational by 2020.
Northwestern University broke ground on the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center in Chicago in May of 2015. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 14-story, 600,000-sf facility will support collaborative research on cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and genetics for the Feinberg School of Medicine. The Biomedical Research Center will house nine laboratory floors of approximately 45,000 sf each with integrated offices for principal investigators.
The University of Texas at Tyler broke ground on the $26.5 million W.T. Brookshire Hall in late April of 2014. The three-story, 60,000-sf facility will house the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy. Designed to encourage student-faculty interaction and support innovative pedagogies, the project will provide flexible classrooms, research labs, skills training suites, offices, and study areas. Completion is expected in May of 2015.
The University of Delaware celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Lasher Laboratory in April of 2015. The BSL-2 facility is located in the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown and supports research on the detection and diagnosis of avian diseases including avian influenza. Supported by $4 million in state funding, the project was completed in December of 2014 and included new MEP, fire, and life safety systems as well as significant improvements to the building envelope.
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is planning to renovate a 67,000-sf animal research facility in Silver Spring, Md. Constructed in 1972 to provide biomedical laboratories and vivarium space for large and small animals, Building 511 will be extensively upgraded with new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and building automation systems. New wall, floor, and ceiling finishes will be installed as well as vibration mitigation technologies for specialized research equipment.
The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is planning a $75 million mouse production facility in Ellsworth, Maine. The project involves the complete renovation of an existing 143,000-sf building to create advanced vivarium space for the breeding and housing of mice for genetic research. The facility will consolidate all of JAX’s East Coast production operations in a single location, enabling the company’s Bar Harbor campus to provide additional research, education, and conference space.
Purdue University is initiating three construction projects for the College of Engineering in West Lafayette, Ind. Work will begin in 2016 on an $8.2 million expansion of the Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories to create a 9,600-sf research suite featuring five new test cells supporting laser-based measurement. Other projects include the $54 million, 75,000-sf Flex Lab, a multidisciplinary, team-based research facility, and the Innovation Design Center, a 24-hour student project building featuring CAD labs and collaboration areas.
The University of Nebraska broke ground in late April of 2015 on a $45.5 million veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Lincoln. Located on the Nebraska Innovation Campus, the 65,000-sf facility will provide labs for diagnostic testing, animal science, and medical research. The project architect is RDG Planning and Design of Omaha. Completion is expected in 2017.
Johns Hopkins University will lease 115,000 sf in a new laboratory building under construction in Baltimore. The $59 million, 170,000-sf facility is being built by Forest City Enterprises in partnership with East Baltimore Development Inc. and will feature advanced LED lighting systems installed by GB Energie LED and Revolution Lighting Technologies. Construction began on the project in November of 2014 and completion is expected in July of 2016.
Pharmaceutical products manufacturer Bath ASU is expanding their existing campus in the United Kingdom with the construction of a 21,500-sf production plant in Corsham. Designed by Pegasus, the project will triple available cleanroom space and is being built by John Yerbury Property Developments using Kingspan Micro-Rib insulated metal wall panels. Completion is expected by June of 2015.
Clark College is building a $41 million academic facility to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs in Vancouver, Wash. Designed by LSW Architects, the three-story, 70,000-sf project will provide 26 instructional spaces as well as labs, offices, and study areas for the departments of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. The building will feature a 44-ft drop tower for student experiments, a three-story lobby, a machine shop, a cadaver lab, and an outdoor classroom.
The University of Washington is building the $123.5 million Animal Research and Care Facility in Seattle. Housing the Department of Comparative Medicine, the 83,000-sf subterranean structure will accommodate rodents, pigs, dogs, and non-human primates. Comprising two floors of approximately 40,000 sf each, the facility will provide labs, procedure rooms, imaging suites, cage and equipment wash, storage, and support. Construction began in early 2015 and occupancy is expected in August of 2017.
Ohio State University celebrated the opening of the $126 million Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC) in Columbus in April of 2015. The two-building, 235,000-sf project includes a four-story teaching and research building physically connected to a six-story office and research building. The LEED-certified complex features wet research labs with ancillary support, computational research suites, shared core labs, instructional spaces, and offices for faculty, graduate students, and administration.
Minerals research firm Mintek opened a cleanroom and biocontainment laboratory in April of 2015 in Johannesburg. Supported by $2.4 million in funding from South Africa's Department of Science and Technology, the project includes an ISO 5 cleanroom and a BSL-3 suite to accommodate the development of advanced diagnostic technologies for diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. The facilities feature sophisticated controls for the regulation of temperature, pressure, moisture, and airborne particles.
