Research and Development

Texas A&M University at Galveston dedicated the $53.2 million Ocean and Coastal Studies Building (OCSB) in November of 2010. Designed by WHR Architects, the 110,000-sf marine research facility is located on Pelican Island and houses the Texas Institute of Oceanography, Center for Texas Beaches and Shores, Texas Seafood Safety Laboratory, Laboratory of Oceanographic and Environmental Research, Coastal Zone Laboratory, and the university’s Marine Biology and Marine Sciences academic departments.

Scripps Health will break ground in late 2011 on a $398 million cardiovascular institute in La Jolla. The 383,000-sf, eight-story facility will provide 108 private patient rooms, 60 ICU beds, six surgical suites, catheterization labs, cardiovascular research labs, and a center for graduate medical education. The design architect for the project is HOK. Completion is expected in 2015. The institute is part of a $2 billion master plan to rebuild Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

Babraham Bioscience Technologies opened the 8,000-sf Maia bioincubator facility in Cambridge in November of 2010. The project will provide laboratories for seven early-stage biomedical companies with access to shared research resources at the Babraham Institute. The opening of the Maia building brings the total footprint of Babraham’s research campus to 70,000 sf. Babraham Bioscience Technologies is the commercial arm of the Babraham Institute, an institute of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

IBM’s £44 million nanotechnology laboratory in Rueschlikon, Switzerland, is slated for completion in spring of 2011. Created in partnership with The Swiss Technical University (ETH), the facility will provide 900 sm of cleanroom space and temperature-stable subterranean laboratories protected from vibrations and electromagnetic interference. The building will feature geothermal heating, photovoltaic panels, and a parking garage with a green roof.

The University of Pittsburgh will construct a $50 million addition to Salk Hall. The expansion will provide laboratories and offices for the School of Pharmacy and the School of Dental Medicine. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Completion is expected by 2013.

Novo Nordisk will invest up to $100 million to expand its Beijing R&D center in Zhongguancun Life Science Park. The project includes $40 million for the construction of diabetes research laboratories. Completion in expected in late 2011 with occupancy slated for 2012.

The University of St. Andrews opened the £45 million School of Medical and Biological Sciences in Scotland in November of 2010. Providing integrated facilities for research and medical education, the building is designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and is connected by a bridge to the school of physics and astronomy. The School of Medical and Biological Sciences includes a 300-seat lecture hall, classrooms, and laboratories for teaching and research. The facility was completed in May of 2010.

Mölnlycke Health Care will break ground in January of 2011 on a $37 million research and manufacturing facility in Brunswick, Maine. The 79,800-sf building will be located in the redeveloped Brunswick Naval Air Station and is slated for occupancy in December of 2011. The architect for the two-story project is Harriman Architects and Engineers of Auburn, Maine. The construction cost of the facility is $12 million with $25 million for advanced machinery and equipment. The building will accommodate 85 employees.

The University of Cambridge broke ground on a £41 million facility for the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy in November of 2010. The 10,200-sm building was designed by NBBJ and will house laboratories, offices, support, and social space. An electron microscopy facility will be built on an isolated concrete slab to eliminate vibration and electromagnetic interference. Consolidating five existing facilities, the project will integrate teaching and research activities in a facility designed to maximize interaction and collaboration.

George Washington University will begin construction on the Neglected Diseases of Poverty translational research facility in summer of 2011. Located at George Washington Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the project includes renovation of 35,000 sf of existing space to house open laboratories and clinical space for the study of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and neglected infections of poverty (NIPs). The multidisciplinary project is supported by $15 million in federal stimulus funding.

Medicago awarded KBR Building Group a $19 million contract in November of 2010 to construct the 90,000-sf Vaccine Research and Production Facility/Greenhouse in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The commercial grade vaccine facility will utilize a VLP (virus-like particle) plant-based manufacturing technology to produce pandemic influenza vaccines. The total project cost is estimated at over $32 million. Completion is expected in July of 2011.

GE International will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $100 million energy research center on the Ilha do Bom Jesus peninsula in Brazil. The 140,000-sf facility will provide R&D labs for the creation of wind and renewable energy products and solutions. Completion is expected in late 2012.

The University of Kentucky broke ground in November of 2010 on a 36,000-sf expansion of the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) in Lexington. The $19.8 million facility is located in the Spindletop Research Park and is supported by $11.8 million in federal stimulus funding. The expansion will support research into biofuels, biomass, wind, and solar energy. The adjacent Kentucky Argonne Battery Manufacturing Research and Development Center will also conduct research at the center. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the expansion.

Montana State University dedicated the $15.7 million Animal Bioscience building in Bozeman in November of 2010. The three-story, 40,000-sf facility provides classrooms and laboratories for instruction and research in anatomy, physiology, genetics, animal nutrition, rangeland ecology, and natural resources. A technology transfer room with interactive video capability allows information to be shared throughout the state. Ground was broken on the project in June of 2008. The facility was built by Swank Enterprises of Valier, Mont.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to construct a $42.8 million meat science research facility. Supporting instruction and research for the Department of Animal Sciences, the project will foster collaboration with industry partners including meat companies and food safety agencies. The facility will feature a BSL-2 isolatable pilot plant for the study of meat pathogens and the development of intervention strategies. Occupancy is expected in 2017.