Research and Development

AssetWorks, a leader in intelligent workplace management, has secured a contract with the University of Maine System to provide a comprehensive integrated workplace management system (IWMS) intended to replace a legacy environment of four disparate management tools and numerous standalone Microsoft® Excel and Access databases. AiM™ from AssetWorks is expected to manage a broad swath of functions spanning operations and maintenance, space management, utilities management, and capital planning.

Louisiana State University will begin construction in fall of 2014 on a $100 million expansion of the College of Engineering in Baton Rouge. The project includes building a new chemical engineering annex and the expansion and renovation of the existing 306,000-sf Taylor Hall. Completion is expected in 2017.

Samsung Electronics is investing $4.4 million to build five new research and development facilities in South Korea. The R5 campus in Suwon will include two centers, a smart device research lab and a materials and components development building. A $1.1 million facility in southern Seoul will accommodate approximately 10,000 designers, software developers, and strategists engaged in the maximization of research productivity.

The University of Bristol is building the $82 million Life Sciences building in the United Kingdom. The 145,313-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, seminar rooms, and offices arranged around a central atrium. Supporting advanced biological sciences research, the building will include a five-story laboratory wing with microscopy and spectroscopy rooms, acoustic chambers, cleanrooms, and greenhouses. The project was designed by Sheppard Robson and is being built by VINCI Construction.

Pfizer is investing $130 million to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in Ireland. Pfizer's Grange Castle campus in Clondalkin will undergo a $100 million renovation and expansion to double current production of therapies for rheumatoid arthritis. Completion is expected in 2015. A $23 million upgrade of the Ringaskiddy campus will support the manufacture of new cancer treatments and other medicines.

The University of Miami is building the 37,000-sf Neuroscience and Health Annex in Coral Gables, Fla. The interdisciplinary facility will enable scientists from the departments of biology and psychology to collaborate with researchers from the Miller School of Medicine. The three-story project is partially funded by $14.8 million in federal stimulus funding and will provide research labs, offices, a vivarium, and a human functional magnetic resonance imaging lab (HFMRI). LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Fitchburg State University is building a $57.3 million, 57,000-sf addition to the Condike Science Building in Fitchburg, Mass. The expansion will provide biology and chemistry teaching and research laboratories, classrooms, and support functions. The project was designed by CBT Architects and is being built by BOND of Everett, Mass. The laboratory design consultant was Research Facilities Design (RFD).

Oak Ridge National Lab will dedicate the $20.5 million Maximum Building Energy Efficiency Research Laboratory (MAXLAB) in summer of 2013 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The 18,000-gsf facility was completed in early 2013 and provides research facilities for the development and testing of building components and systems. The project team included architect and construction administrator Cannon Design of St. Louis, civil engineer Fulghum MacIndoe & Associates, and landscape architect Hedstrom Design.

The recently opened Translational Research Institute (TRI) in Brisbane, Australia, combines four major research institutes into a single medical and biopharmaceutical research facility where new treatments can be developed, manufactured, and clinically tested in one location, greatly shortening the time between discovery and application.

The State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) broke ground on the $125 million Computer Chip Commercialization Center in June of 2013. The three-story, 200,000-sf facility will provide research laboratories, classrooms, offices, and a 50,000-sf nanotechnology cleanroom. Located in Marcy, N.Y., the facility is created in partnership with the University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE) and will foster collaborative research and development with industry partners.

The University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography opened the $26.5 million Marine Ecosystem Sensing, Observation and Modeling (MESOM) Laboratory in La Jolla in June of 2013. Accommodating 76 researchers and staff, the three-story, 40,100-sf facility provides 12 labs and 15 offices for the study of coastal ecosystems and climate change. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which features abundant natural light and a rooftop photovoltaic array.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee broke ground on the $80 million Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Center in June of 2013. The 92,900-asf (152,200-gsf) facility will provide teaching, research, and office space for the Department of Physics and labs for the School of Public Health. The seven-story building will include one level below grade, one mechanical floor, and a penthouse. Completion is expected in 2015.

Brigham and Women's Hospital broke ground in June of 2013 on the $450 million Brigham Building for the Future in Boston. The 620,000-sf, 11-story translational facility will provide advanced laboratories, clinical space, and a subterranean imaging center to support the integration of research with patient care. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will feature a cogeneration plant and a storm water recycling system. Completion is expected in fall of 2016.

Michigan State University broke ground in June of 2013 on the $60.8 million Bio Engineering Facility in East Lansing. The 130,000-sf interdisciplinary building will provide modular open-plan laboratories and offices for faculty from the colleges of Engineering, Human Medicine, and Natural Science.

Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis is planning to break ground on a $75 million research building in summer of 2013. The 138,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide flexible, open labs for the Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology and the departments of medicine, genetics, and developmental biology. The design team includes Goody Clancy of Boston in association with Christner of St. Louis. Clayco is the general contractor. Completion is expected in June of 2015.