Research and Development

Wilkes University broke ground on a $35 million science building in March of 2012 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The 72,500-sf facility will provide collaborative learning spaces including laboratories and classrooms, as well as business incubator space to support interactive research with The Commonwealth Medical College, Geisinger Health System, and Community Health Care. The building will house the departments of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, health sciences, environmental engineering, and earth sciences.

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics celebrated the opening of the $12 million Holden Cancer Center in February of 2012. Offering state-of-the-art care in 64,000 sf of renovated space, the facility is located on two floors in the Pomerantz Family Pavilion. It includes new clinic and infusion bay areas in a modern, patient-friendly environment, providing everything from chemotherapy to radiation and other treatments. The new cancer clinic provides a significant increase in patient space from the prior facility, which was located in an adjacent building.

Wake Forest University opened the 242,000-sf Biotech Place in February of 2012 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Located in Piedmont Triad Research Park, the facility underwent a $100 million renovation to provide 217,000 sf of research space for 320 employees of Wake Forest University Health Sciences. The building also includes a 25,000-sf business incubator. Wexford Science and Technology LLC of Baltimore was the developer of the BioTech Place. 

The University of Tartu has selected Nordecon AS to design and build a $12 million translational medicine facility on Toomemägi Hill in Tartu, Estonia. Construction will begin on the three-story, 61,484-sf project in summer of 2012. The center will be built as an extension of the existing Chemistry Building and will include an animal vivarium, research labs, a cleanroom, surgical suites, an MRI imaging department, offices, and seminar rooms.

Johns Hopkins University will begin construction in August of 2012 on the $37.5 million Malone Hall in Baltimore. The four-story, 56,000-sf research building will house the multidisciplinary Systems Institute and the Homewood base of the Individualized Health Initiative. The design architect for the project is S/L/A/M Collaborative with Whiting-Turner as construction manager.

Duke University will begin construction in April of 2012 on a $35 million facility for the Nicholas School of the Environment in Durham, N.C. The five-story, 70,000-sf building will be connected to the adjacent Levine Science Research Center and will provide classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, computer labs, and an art gallery. The sustainably designed facility will feature a chilled beam air conditioning system, a thermal corridor, photovoltaic arrays, a green roof, and a solar hot water system. Completion is expected in summer of 2013.

BASF Plant Science will invest $33 million to expand its Research Triangle Park campus. An 80,000-sf building will provide plant biotechnology labs, an insect production facility, a climate-controlled greenhouse, and offices. Groundbreaking is expected in March of 2012 with completion slated for mid-2013.

The University of Texas at Brownsville dedicated the $34 million Biomedical Research Building in February of 2012. The facility provides teaching and research labs, classrooms, a vivarium, and faculty offices. Designed by SHW Group of Dallas with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 60,000-sf center supports research in infectious diseases, cancer, neuroscience, and animal science.

Carnegie Mellon University is planning to build a 100,000-sf biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, and energy facility in Pittsburgh. Designed by OFFICE 52, the research building will house the department of biomedical engineering, a 10,000-sf nanofabrication facility, and the Energy Futures Institute. LEED Gold Sustainable Design certification will be sought for the facility. The building will connect on two levels to the existing Hamerschlag, Wean, and Roberts engineering halls to promote integration and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Texas A&M University is planning a $120 million expansion and renovation of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in College Station. A new classroom and teaching lab facility will be built and the Small Animal Hospital will be expanded. The project includes the possible demolition or renovation of parts of the existing veterinary teaching hospital, veterinary sciences building, and administration building.

Johns Hopkins University is building the $62 million Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories and Biology Research Wing in Baltimore. The 105,000-sf project is an expansion of the Mudd Hall Biology Complex and will provide teaching labs for biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and biophysics on the lower three floors. The upper floor will accommodate biology research with open labs, lab support, procedure space, meeting and seminar rooms, and faculty offices.

GE Aviation is building three new facilities in the United States. A 300,000-sf manufacturing plant in Ellisville, Miss., will produce composite components for jet engines and aircraft systems when it opens in early 2013. In Auburn, Ala., a 300,000-sf factory producing advanced machined parts for commercial and military engines will be completed by the end of 2012. Lastly, the 120,000-sf Electrical Power Integrated Systems Research and Development Center (EPISCENTER) is under construction at the University of Dayton.

The University of Nottingham opened the $11.4 million Gateway Building in February of 2012 in the United Kingdom. Designed by Make Architects, the four-story, 33,368-sf facility features a straw bale curtainwall that provides robust insulation for the classrooms, research labs, and offices of the School of Biosciences and the School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences. 

Emory University broke ground in December of 2011 on the Dual-Function Facility at Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta. Supported by $15 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the three-story, 19,800-sf building will house the Emory Institute for Drug Discovery and the Center for Innovative Genetics. The project will support research in emerging infectious diseases and will include vivarium space and procedure suites. Completion is expected in spring of 2013.

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground on the $145 million Computational Research and Theory (CRT) facility on February 1, 2012. Located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the 145,000-sf project will accommodate approximately 300 researchers and staff engaged in interdisciplinary supercomputing research. The CRT will house the Department of Energy’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing (NERSC) Center, the Computational Research Division, and the Energy Sciences Network.