Research and Development

National Instruments broke ground in June of 2011 on a 314,000-sf research, development, and operations facility in Bayan Lepas, Penang. The sustainably designed facility will include occupancy sensors, energy efficient lighting, and double-glazed Low-E glass for reduced heat gain. The building will feature an advanced HVAC interface created by Chiller Energy Management Systems that uses National Instruments' LabVIEW software platform. The facility will house 1,500 employees. Completion is expected in 2012.

The University of Missouri will break ground in early 2012 on a $45 million expansion of the Discovery Ridge Research Park in Columbia. The project will be built in phases and the first building has an estimated construction cost of $15 million. The completed three-building, 225,000-sf campus will provide mixed-use lab and office space for life science companies as well as supporting commercialization of research discoveries.  The project is being developed by CarrBaierCrandall.

North Dakota State University dedicated the Beef Cattle Research Complex in June of 2011. Supporting research in animal nutrition and physiology, genetics, and food safety, the $3.3 million center includes accommodation for 192 cattle, a feed mixing and storing facility, a laboratory, and office space.

Pioneer Hi-Bred broke ground on a 26,000-sf crop research center in late June of 2011 in Kinston, N.C. The $2.3 million project will enable the DuPont subsidiary to create advanced agribusiness products including corn and soybean seeds suited to local soil conditions. Completion is expected in fall of 2011. 

Hunter Medical Research Institute is building a $90 million translational research facility in Rankin Park, New South Wales. The 172,000-sf building will house 450 biomedical and clinical researchers and is slated for occupancy in mid-2012.

Virginia Tech opened a 144,000-sf research facility in Arlington in July of 2011. The facility houses the Advanced Research Center, the Virginia Tech Bioinformatics Institute, and the Center for Geospatial Information Technology. The center’s proximity to federal government agencies and corporations will promote collaboration and the development of industry partnerships.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Research Support Facility has attained LEED Platinum sustainable design certification. Located in Golden, Colo., the 222,000-sf project achieved all 59 targeted LEED points, including those for site selection, energy, materials and resources, and innovation. This is the highest score of the 10 U.S. federal facilities that have earned the LEED Platinum rating for new construction. The RSF also had a perfect score in the energy category, achieving all 17 points.

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin completed construction of the $54 million Science and Technology Building in July of 2011. Housing the departments of chemistry, physics, biology, and computer science, the 100,000-sf facility will provide 32 research and teaching labs, 32 faculty offices, two 100-seat lecture halls, and one 200-seat lecture hall. Occupancy is expected in August of 2011.

United Therapeutics awarded DPR Construction a $49.9 million contract in June of 2011 to build an 180,000-sf facility on its existing campus in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The addition will provide manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and warehouse space. Completion is expected in 2012.

MSD (Merck Sharp Dohme) opened the Bioassay Centre of Expertise and the Pneumococcal Vaccine Conjugation Facility in June of 2011 in Brinny, Ireland. The facilities represent an investment of $41 million and will support the development, commercialization, and manufacture of vaccines and protein-based therapeutics.

A $4.5 billion renovation of the Pentagon is now complete. The 17-year design-build project included extensive reconstruction of the 6.5 million-sf facility, including reconfiguration to accommodate modern technology and communications systems. The completed Department of Defense headquarters will officially open in summer of 2011. 

The University of Delaware is building the $131.8 million Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Laboratory (ISE-Lab) in Newark. The 194,000-sf facility will provide advanced classrooms, teaching labs, and core research spaces. The ISE-Lab will house the University of Delaware Energy Institute, the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, the Delaware Environmental Institute, and the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation. Completion is expected in summer of 2013.

The University of Oregon is constructing the $65 million Lewis Integrative Science Building in Eugene. Designed by THA Architecture and HDR with Lease Crutcher Lewis as construction manager, the five-story facility will provide 100,000 sf of interdisciplinary research, teaching, and collaboration space for the study of nanotechnology, molecular biology, neuroscience, and energy. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The Monroe County Public Safety Laboratory opened in June of 2011 in Rochester, N.Y. The $23 million crime and forensics lab includes areas for chemistry, biology, ballistics research, and DNA analysis. Construction began on the facility in 2009.

The University of Texas at Arlington has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification for the $126 million Engineering Research Building. Housing the departments of Bioengineering and Computer Science and Engineering, the 234,000-gsf facility provides classrooms, research and teaching labs, a science and engineering library, collaboration space, and faculty offices. The project was designed by Page Southerland Page with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant.