Research and Development

The University of Texas broke ground in April of 2014 on a $334 million campus for the Dell Medical School in Austin. The 515,000-sf project will provide teaching, research, and administrative facilities, as well as a medical office building and a parking garage. The general contractor for the campus is JE Dunn and completion is expected by fall of 2016. Project partners Seton Health and Central Health will build an adjacent teaching hospital, the $295 million, 211-bed Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas.

Dalton State College will dedicate the 58,000-sf Shelby and Willena Peeples Hall in May of 2014 in Dalton, Ga. The $15 million facility will house chemistry and biology labs, dedicated undergraduate research labs, and instructional space for the School of Science, Technology and Mathematics. The project team included architectural firm Lord Aeck Sargent, design consultant Gregg Sims, and general contractor New South Construction. Occupancy is expected in early fall of 2014.

Rochester Institute of Technology broke ground on the Clinical Health Sciences Center in April of 2014 in Henrietta, N.Y. Accommodating programs for the College of Health Sciences and Technology, the 45,000-sf facility will include dedicated space for the new Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition as well as housing a primary care clinic operated by Rochester General Health System. Constructed as an addition to the existing Louise M.

Grifols’ North Fractionation Facility in Clayton, N.C., has been named the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) 2014 Facility of the Year for Project Execution. Fluor provided integrated engineering, procurement, construction management, and front-end qualification for this 150,000-sf blood plasma fractionation facility, which was built using modular construction techniques to meet an aggressive construction schedule, incorporate new centrifuge technology, and expand existing plant utilities.

Kansas State University began building a $45 million facility for the College of Engineering in April of 2014 in Manhattan, Kan. The building is designed by Perkins+Will as the centerpiece and fourth phase of KSU’s engineering complex. Providing teaching and research labs, technology-rich classrooms, offices, and a 250-seat lecture hall, the project includes construction of a 108,600-gsf building and the renovation of the front entrance of Rathbone Hall.

Emory University will break ground in spring of 2014 on a $30 million science building for Oxford College. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering and built by Brasfield & Gorrie, the four-story, 57,500-sf facility will provide nine teaching labs for biology, chemistry, physics, and geology; three research labs; three classrooms; an imaging center; and a greenhouse. The building will feature faculty-student research suites on each floor and a central interaction atrium.

Charles River Laboratories opened a 58,000-sf animal research facility in April of 2014 in Spencerville, Ohio. The building provides vivarium space and labs for preclinical research on pharmaceutical compounds, medical devices, and chemicals. Construction on the facility began in 2007 and was halted in 2009, with recommencement of building work in October of 2013.

The National Institutes of Health dedicated the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center in late March of 2014 in Bethesda, Md. Comprised of two buildings connected by a glass atrium, the collaborative 500,000-sf facility provides open laboratories, offices, and an advanced MRI suite for researchers from 10 NIH neuroscience institutes and centers. Construction on the first building began in 2001 and was completed in 2004.

Boston-based general contractor BOND has completed construction of a two-phase infrastructure upgrade to Brown University’s Barus & Holley Hall/Prince Laboratory Building in Providence, R.I. Housing the engineering and physics departments, the seven-story, 220,000-sf facility provides 150 offices, 117 labs, 29 teaching labs, 15 classrooms, and three lecture halls. Components of the upgrade included a new fire alarm system, modernized elevators, and replacement of the building’s air handling unit.

San Juan College is constructing a 65,000-sf facility for the School of Energy in Farmington, N.M. The $15 million building will provide specialized laboratories for the study of oil and gas production technologies as well as classrooms and offices. The team for the design/build project includes architectural firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini and general contractor Jaynes Corporation. Groundbreaking was celebrated in fall of 2013 and completion is expected in May of 2015.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dedicated the $245 million Marsico Hall in March of 2014. The nine-story, 340,000-sf biomedical imaging facility will support basic and translational research in oncology, nanomedicine, microbiology, immunology, and pharmaceutical engineering. Marisco Hall houses a hybrid MRI/PET whole body scanner, a 7 Tesla MRI whole body scanner, and a cyclotron.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is planning to build a new research facility in the Schuylkill district. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli and Cooper Robertson & Partners, the first phase of the project will include a tower up to 24 stories high providing dry labs, offices, and clinical research space. The facility will include a parking garage and a pedestrian bridge.

North Central College is designing a $60 million facility to replace the 34-year-old Kroehler Science Center. Located in Naperville, Ill., the 120,000-sf, 44-story interdisciplinary building will provide teaching labs, classrooms, and collaborative research space for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs. The project architect is Holabird & Root of Chicago and the laboratory programming and design consultant is Research Facilities Design (RFD). Occupancy is expected in fall of 2017.

The University of California, San Diego dedicated the $113 million Health Sciences Biomedical Research Facility in March of 2014 in La Jolla, Calif. Designed by ZGF Architects, the 196,000-sf building provides wet bench laboratories, open lab space, lab support, offices, conference rooms, and an interaction atrium. A basement level accommodates core labs and mechanical systems.

Weber State University will begin construction in June of 2014 on the 175,000-sf Tracy Hall Science Center in Ogden, Utah. Supported by $57.4 million in state funding and a $5 million philanthropic contribution, the facility will house all eight departments of the College of Science in a single location. The project design principles spell out the word ‘science’: sustainability, connectedness, inviting, engaging, nature, comfortable, and exploration.