Research and Development

The U.S. Department of Energy opened the $66.8 million Interdisciplinary Science Building at Brookhaven National Lab in April of 2013. Located in Upton, N.Y., the two-story, 87,700-sf facility provides 60 laboratories for research on renewable energy and nanomaterials. The ISB features a humidity-controlled dry room for battery assembly and testing and vibration-mitigated labs for spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy (SI-STM) and molecular beam epitaxy fabrication.

Bristol-Myers Squibb will break ground in late 2013 on two biologics manufacturing facilities at its existing campus in Devens, Mass. The $250 million, 200,000-sf expansion will provide laboratories and offices for biologics research, manufacturing, and development. Completion is expected in 2015.

The University of Hawai'i opened the new UH Cancer Center in April of 2013 in Kaka’ako. The five-story, 150,000-sf facility was designed by Shimokawa Nakamura of Honolulu and ZGF Architects of Los Angeles. Other project team members included Jacobs Engineering as laboratory design consultant with Kobayashi Group as general contractor and project manager. The collaborative facility provides advanced laboratories for biomedical research.

Rutgers University will break ground in mid-2013 on the $55 million Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health. The three-story, 80,000-sf facility will house 25 principal investigators involved in basic research with a focus on genomics and molecular nutrition. The interdisciplinary building will provide 37,198 sf of research, 825 sf of administration, and 28,263 sf of community space. The remaining 13,425 sf is ocuppied by mechanical systems and circulation. The $34 million construction contract was awarded to Joseph A.

The Gates Vascular Institute (GVI) transforms the concept of translational collaboration, uniting not only a private health entity with a public institution, but also patients, physicians, researchers, educators, industry, and government within a state-of-the-art vertical campus. The building brings together, through a unique public/private partnership, the heart, vascular, and emergency facilities of Kaleida Health; the Clinical Translational Research Center (CTRC) of the University at Buffalo (UB); and a biosciences incubator and The Jacobs Institute of Neurology, both UB affiliates.

The University at Buffalo will break ground in September of 2013 on the $375 million School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Designed by HOK to foster interaction and collaboration, the seven-story, 500,000-sf project will be integrated with UB's academic medical center to promote a synthesis of instruction, research, and treatment. The facility comprises two L-shaped structures linked to create a six-story glass atrium. The ground floor includes a transit hub.

Idaho National Lab dedicated its Energy Systems Laboratory in April of 2013 in Idaho Falls. Constructed by Ormond Builders, the 91,000-sf facility provides research, teaching, and demonstration facilities for the study of bioenergy technologies, hybrid vehicles, batteries, and biomass design and analysis. The building houses three reconfigurable high bay research areas, a biomass characterization lab, a computer-assisted virtual environment, and offices. Ground was broken on the project in February of 2011.

Creating an "agile workplace"—by determining the overall business goals of an organization, making an in-depth appraisal of how employees work, and creating an efficient, cost-effective workspace that satisfies various work requirements—can save money in the long run by providing a satisfying workplace designed around employee's work activities.

The European Spallation Source, a planned neutron research facility in Lund, Sweden, will be designed by the team of Henning Larsen Architects, COBE, and SLA. The 1 million-sf complex will provide laboratories for materials science, advanced instrumentation suites, offices, a lecture hall, a 2,000-ft proton accelerator, and a 600-ft target hall. Other project team members include Transsolar, NNE Pharmaplan, and Buro Happold.

ProNova Solutions is building a $50 million headquarters and research complex in Alcoa, Tenn. The first phase of construction will include a two-story, 30,000-sf research and office building and a 40,000-sf manufacturing and testing facility. A planned second phase of construction includes the addition of a two-story, 120,000-sf building. Completion is expected in 2015. ProNova is a maker of proton therapy technologies for the treatment of cancer.

The Jackson Laboratory is building a four-story, 189,000-sf biomedical research facility in Farmington, Conn. Designed by Tsoi/Kobus Associates and Centerbrook Architects, the $135 million JAX Genomic Medicine building will house 300 researchers, technicians, and staff. The project is located on 17 acres at the University of Connecticut Health Science Center. Construction began on the facility in early 2013 and completion is expected in fall of 2014.

The University of Wisconsin is planning to build a $75 million science building on its Stevens Point campus. The four-story, 170,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research space for biology and chemistry. Construction is expected to begin in 2015 and reach completion in 2017. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

New technologies and approaches are making the renovation of academic science facilities a more financially attractive option for institutions facing limited budgets, constrained real estate, and aging buildings with prominent historic legacies. Recent data suggests that, depending on the type of technology applied, institutions can achieve significant savings by renovating existing buildings to meet the needs of modern science as opposed to demolishing and building new.

The Department of Homeland Security began site work for the 87,000-sf Central Utility Plant for the planned 574,000-sf National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in March of 2013. The value of the construction contract is $80 million and the joint venture contractors for the project are McCarthy Building Companies and Mortenson Construction. Located at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., the facility will house heating and cooling systems as well as diesel generators for emergency power supply.

PrimeCell is building the $50 million 4MEDia center in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Located on the campus of Ostrava Teaching Hospital, the 70,000-sf biomedical research facility will accommodate 150 investigators creating therapies for conditions including heart disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. The project will foster collaboration with academic research institutions and industry partners for the commercial development of pharmaceutical products. Completion is expected in mid-2014.