Research and Development

Tufts University received permission from the Boston Public Health Commission in June of 2014 to begin operating the Arnold 8 Biosafety Laboratory. Supporting tuberculosis research, the BSL-3 facility is located in the Tufts School of Medicine’s Biomedical Research and Public Health Building. Development of the 1,700-sf lab began in spring of 2012 with construction commencing in February of 2013. The project architect was Shawmut Design & Construction.

The University of Tampere began construction in June of 2014 on a $64 million medical teaching and research building in Finland. The 273,400-sf project is being built by NCC Construction and will provide instructional space, teaching and research labs, and administrative offices. Completion is expected in May of 2016.

The U.S. Department of Energy broke ground on the $10 million Sensitive Instrument Facility at the Ames Laboratory in Iowa in June of 2014. Located in the Applied Sciences complex near Iowa State University, the 13,300-sf materials science research lab will house advanced electron and scanning probe microscopes in six laboratory bays built to mitigate vibration and electromagnetic interference. The design team includes M+W Zander, Sears Gerber Architecture, and Snyder & Associates.

Auburn University opened the Magnet Lab in May of 2014 in Auburn, Ala. Housed in the Department of Physics, the facility provides the College of Science and Mathematics with a 6,000-pound superconducting magnet for plasma physics research. Creation of the laboratory was supported by a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation award in the amount of $2.1 million, which includes a 30 percent cost-sharing by Auburn University.

HemoShear occupied its new headquarters and research facility in Charlottesville in May of 2014. The renovated building provides 16,000 sf of lab and office space with 12,000 sf to accommodate future growth. The facility will accommodate streamlined R&D operations with advanced instrumentation to support HemoShear's translational human tissue platforms and predictive bioanalytics for pharmaceutical discovery.

The University of Minnesota is planning an $85 million renovation of the 87-year-old Tate Laboratory of Physics in Minneapolis. The project will provide modern lecture halls and classrooms, instructional labs, faculty offices, collaborative study spaces, conference rooms, and dedicated space for the Fine Theoretical Physics Institute and the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics. The building will also accommodate teaching and research programs of the School of Earth Sciences.

The University of Manitoba is partnering with Magellan Aerospace to create the Advanced Satellite Integration Facility. The 6,000-sf ASIF will be located at Magellan's Winnipeg site and will be jointly funded and operated with the University. The project will support the simultaneous assembly, integration, and testing of up to three satellite buses, and will also serve as a training center for satellite engineering and production.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center broke ground on a $45 million research facility in May of 2014 in Creve Coeur, Mo. The three-story, 79,000-sf expansion will provide flexible labs, plant growth chambers, and core facilities for crop science research. Designed by Flad Architects and Christner, the building will accommodate approximately 100 investigators working in 10 teams. The construction manager is McCarthy Building Companies and Landmark Contract Management is the project manager.

The Pirbright Institute has awarded John Sisk & Son a $28.6 million contract to build a research facility for the study of livestock diseases. The two-story, 43,000-sf project is referred to as the CL2 Laboratory and will accommodate 90 scientists. BREAAM Excellent sustainable design certification will be sought for the biocontainment level two facility. The lab is part of a planned $168 million expansion of the Pirbright campus that will include a $118 million facility supporting avian disease research.

Apple has initiated site work for the Apple Campus 2 in Cupertino, Calif. The new headquarters will provide 3.42 million sf of office and R&D facilities on a 176-acre campus designed to accommodate 14,000 employees. The project centerpiece is a four-story, 2.8 million-sf circular building with a glass curtainwall and 700,000 rooftop photovoltaic panels, the construction cost of which is $5 billion. A 120,000-sf auditorium, a 100,000-sf fitness center, 100,000 sf of utility plant space, and parking structures will also be built.

The University of Arizona is planning to build the $136 million Biosciences Partnership Building in Phoenix. Supporting collaborative research, the 10-story, 245,000-sf facility will be located adjacent to the university’s new cancer center currently under construction on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. Construction will begin by year-end 2014 with completion expected in early 2017.

The Karolinska Institute is planning the second phase of construction at the Medical Research Laboratory in Solna, Sweden. Project developer Akademiska Hus AB has awarded Skanska a $61 million contract to construct a nine-story, 183,000-sf interdisciplinary research building. The first phase of construction at the Biomedicum campus is a $190 million, 678,000-sf facility, which is also being built by Skanska with completion slated for 2018.

GE Aviation will begin construction in June of 2014 on a $100 million jet engine production facility in Lafayette, Ind. Accommodating up to 200 employees, the 225,000-sf project will feature advanced assembly line technologies including radio frequency parts management and automated visual inspection services. The facility will support production of the new CFM International LEAP engine and is strategically sited to foster collaboration with Purdue University. Occupancy is expected in 2016.

Novartis opened a $200 million facility in Singapore in April of 2014. Located in the Tuas Biomedical Park, the 330,000-sf building will accommodate pharmaceutical manufacturing operations for Novartis’ Alcon eye care division. The facility will support the production of drugs for glaucoma, allergies, and other conditions.

Pfizer opened the $30 million New Product Technology Laboratory in May of 2014 in Ireland. Located at Pfizer’s Ringaskiddy campus, the facility will produce advanced therapeutics for cancer, high cholesterol, and related health conditions.