Research and Development

Marquette University opened the $50 million Engineering Hall in October of 2011 in Milwaukee. The five-story, 115,000-sf facility houses 38 laboratories, offices, common areas, and a two-story materials and structural testing lab. Functioning as a living laboratory, Engineering Hall includes over 100 sensors to measure temperature, humidity, and electricity use to support instruction in building management and construction science. Ground was broken on the facility in spring of 2010.

The University of Tennessee will open the $37.5 Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building in Knoxville in October of 2011. The 150,000-sf facility provides 19 teaching labs, 15 research labs, two lecture halls, and faculty offices. The University also broke ground on the John Tickle Engineering Building in September of 2011; the duration of construction will be approximately 18 months. 

Drexel University opened the $49.7 million Constantine Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building in October of 2011 in Philadelphia. The 138,000-sf facility provides 39 research and teaching labs for biology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering. The building also houses classrooms, lecture halls, a 230-seat auditorium, and collaborative space. The project's central feature is a five-story biowall in the atrium that serves as a living air filter. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Merit Medical Systems began construction in October of 2011 on an 118,000-sf R&D facility in Pearland, Texas. The two-story building will house 220 employees. Based in South Jordan, Utah, Merit Medical Systems is a maker of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional and diagnostic procedures.

Pioneer Hi-Bred will open a 50,000-sf seed research facility in Dallas Center, Iowa. The project will support agricultural product development and testing. Occupancy is expected in late spring of 2012. Based in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer Hi-Bred is a subsidiary of DuPont.

The Jackson Laboratory is planning to build a $1.1 billion animal research facility on the University of Connecticut Health Center's Farmington campus. The first phase of the project will include a 173,000-sf facility housing laboratory and vivarium space. The public-private partnership will support biomedical research for the creation of personalized medicine solutions. Construction will begin in early 2013 with completion expected in late 2014. The completed Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine will eventually total 250,000 sf.

Winthrop University Hospital will build a $65 million research facility in Mineola, N.Y. The four-story, 95,000-sf facility will provide space for clinical trials as well as housing laboratories for the study of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Construction is expected to begin in spring of 2012 with completion expected in 2014.

The City University of New York (CUNY) has awarded Skanska USA Building a $373 million contract to complete the final phase of the Advanced Science Research Campus in Manhattan. The project includes interior fit-out of 400,000 sf, comprising a four-story City College of New York building, a five-story Advanced Science and Research Center building, and a shared ground floor plaza. The contract also includes development of advanced imaging facilities, a cleanroom, a vivarium, an auditorium, office space, and mechanical and loading dock areas.

Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute broke ground on the Chronic Diseases Clinical Research Center in October of 2011. Located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., the two-story, 23,171-sf facility will house the Center for Rehabilitative Medicine, the Center for Atherosclerosis Research, the HIV/AIDS research program, and the Investigational Drug Service. The building will also include clinical research space.

Harvard University's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology opened its new facility in October of 2011 in Cambridge, Mass. The renovated Sherman Fairchild Biochemistry Building is now dedicated entirely to stem cell research, consolidating lab space previously housed in separate locations. 

The U.S. Army broke ground on a $30 million simulation laboratory in October of 2011 at the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning near Columbus, Ga. The 88,000-sf facility will house a 200-seat classroom and flexible simulation bays for tactical operations research and development. Completion is expected by August of 2012. 

The University of Maryland is planning to build the $190,000 Health Sciences Facility III in Baltimore. The 200,000-sf building will unite the schools of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy in single location and will house research, teaching, and administrative space.  The design architect for the project is HOK. 

Applied Energy Systems, a manufacturer of ultra-high purity gas source and distribution systems, broke ground on its $2.5 million, 16,000-sf Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturing and Technology (SEMAT) Center in October of 2011. Located in Malvern, Pa., the sustainably designed, two-story facility will house a Class 100 cleanroom and an engineering center. 

Roche opened its Center of Excellence for clinical supply manufacturing on September 30, 2011. The 17,000-sf facility will produce pharmaceutical compounds for preclinical safety studies. Ground was broken on the cGMP project in May of 2010 with construction beginning in August of 2010. 

Melbourne Brain Centre has attained five Green Stars, the highest sustainable design rating offered by the Green Building Council of Australia. The $102 million building houses the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Neuroscience, the Florey Neuroscience Institutes, and the Mental Health Research Institute. Designed by The Lyons Architects, the 11-story, 202,000-sf building was built by Brookfield Multiplex with construction reaching completion almost four months ahead of schedule.