Research and Development

Auburn University opened the $28.8 million Mike Hubbard Center for Advanced Science, Innovation and Commerce in September of 2013. Located in the Auburn Research Park, the 84,000-sf facility will support programs in energy, engineering, genomics, ecology, water and food safety, and information science. General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie began building the center in late 2011. The facility provides 20 technology-rich laboratories, a supercomputing suite, seminar rooms, and two large cranes for biofuels research.

The University of Alabama completed construction of the fourth phase of the Science and Engineering Complex in Tuscaloosa in September of 2013. The $58 million, 205,000-sf facility provides 51 research labs, 19 teaching labs, a 7,800-sf cleanroom, faculty and graduate student offices, conference rooms, collaboration space, and support. Accommodating research on materials science and advanced sensors, the building features flexible lab and core areas that can be reconfigured to accommodate new technologies as needed.

Winthrop University Hospital celebrated the topping out of the $65 million Winthrop Research Institute in September of 2013 in Mineola, N.Y. The five-story, 95,000-sf building was designed by Perkins Eastman and is slated for completion in 2015. The translational research and academic facility will provide classrooms, a clinical trials center, a simulation training suite, and core laboratories for the study of diabetes, obesity, cardiopulmonary disease, and neurology.

BASF celebrated the opening of its new plant science facilities in Research Triangle Park, N.C., in September of 2013. The $33 million expansion includes 80,000 sf of office, laboratory, and greenhouse space. The project features a climate-controlled greenhouse, laboratories for plant biotechnology research, and an environmentally-controlled insect production facility. BASF is based in Ludwigshafen, Germany, with the 480,000-sf Research Triangle Park campus serving as the company's U.S. headquarters.

The University of Edinburgh opened the first phase of the National Avian Research Facility in early 2013. The $7.9 million facility is part of a collaborative two-building research campus currently under construction for the Roslin Institute of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Pirbright Institute. Ground was broken on the project in early 2013. Phase two of the $22 million project is expected to open in late 2014.

The University of Nebraska opened the 23,000-sf Biomechanics Research Building in Omaha in September of 2013. The laboratory will support applied translational research on the mechanics of movement and includes a virtual reality suite. The $6 million building houses advanced robotic and imaging technologies and will accommodate collaboration with NASA to develop solutions for the gravitational challenges faced by returning astronauts.

Non-residential construction volumes and pricing continued their upward trend in the second quarter, with prices increasing an average of 2 to 4 percent in the first half of 2013. These factors, along with growing market confidence and a narrowing labor supply, will continue to push new construction costs closer to the trend line for the near to medium term.

Translational Research Institute (TRI) is a joint venture between The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Queensland University of Technology’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Mater Research, and the Princess Alexandra Hospital Centres for Health Research.

The University of Dayton completed construction of the $52 million Electrical Power Integrated Systems Research and Development Center (EPISCENTER) in summer of 2013. The 139,000-sf facility was created in partnership with GE Aviation. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which features photovoltaic energy technologies and a sophisticated water management system. The cost of construction was $25 million with $27 million providing funding for research instrumentation. Ground was broken on the project in April of 2011.

The University of Georgia is building the $97.7 million Veterinary Medical Learning Center (VLMC) in Athens, Ga. Providing five buildings and approximately 300,000 sf for the College of Veterinary Medicine, the campus will include an academic building, a teaching hospital, a covered arena, a large animal isolation barn, and a theriogenology and farm field services building. Ground was broken on the project in November of 2012 and construction began in March of 2013. Completion is expected in 2015.

The University of Tennessee opened the $23 million John D. Tickle Engineering Building in Knoxville in August of 2013. The five-story, 110,000-sf facility houses the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Designed by Grieve Associates Architects, the building features a high bay research area, a two-story water tank and cement pit for erosion testing, and two 10-ton cranes for the movement of structures and workways.

City University of New York has attained LEED Platinum sustainable design certification for Lehman College Science Hall. The $70 million facility was designed by architectural firm Perkins+Will and built by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). Construction was led by Gilbane Building Company and the project team included general contractor Calcedo Construction, B&G Electric, Aspro Plumbing, and BP Mechanical.

The $102 million Central Reference Laboratory (CRL) is being constructed in Kazakhstan to support research on emerging infectious diseases and pathogens. The 87,000-sf biocontainment facility will provide 5,400 sf of BSL-3 space as well as BSL-2 research areas. The project is being created in collaboration with the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency and will be affiliated with the Kazakhstan Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases. The CRL is located in Almaty and is expected to open in 2015.

Toyota Motor Corporation broke ground in August of 2013 on a new R&D center in Tianjin, China. The 1.2 million-sf project will include a laboratory building, a design building, and other structures. The facility is expected to become operational in 2015.

The new ANSI Standard Z9.14-201X will govern the testing and performance verification methodologies for ventilation systems for BSL-3 and ABSL-3 facilities. High containment laboratory verification is the systematic review and evaluation of all safety features and processes associated with the laboratory, including engineering controls, personal protective equipment, SOPs, administrative controls, and building and system integrity.