Research and Development

Michigan State University broke ground in September of 2010 on the $17.6 million Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research in East Lansing. Supported by $7.45 million in federal stimulus funding, the three-story addition will provide 20,906 gsf of research space, teaching labs, classrooms, and faculty offices. The 50,000-sf project will enable several College of Nursing facilities to be consolidated in a centralized location. Completion is expected in late 2011.

BuildingIQ, an energy management software company, has announced its first Predictive Energy Optimization pilot project in the United States at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory.

The U.S. Geological Survey broke ground on a $10.7 million expansion and renovation of its Columbia Environmental Research Center in September of 2010. Supported by funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the 23,800-sf project includes construction of additional lab and office space and renovation of existing aquatic research facilities. Completion is expected by September of 2011.

Staffordshire University will begin construction in fall of 2010 on the £30 million Science and Technology Centre in Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom. The general contractor for the project is Miller Construction. The teaching and research facility will include laboratories, flexible classrooms, two lecture halls, a cognitive and developmental psychology suite, interview rooms, a learning resource center, a dedicated IT suite, and a café. Occupancy is expected in autumn of 2012.

Iowa State University dedicated the $32 million Biorenewables Research Laboratory in Ames in September of 2010. Designed to promote interaction and collaboration, the interdisciplinary research facility houses labs and offices for the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, the Bioeconomy Institute, and the Biobased Industry Center. RFD (Research Facilities Design) was the laboratory design consultant for the project.

Pennsylvania State University broke ground in September of 2010 on the $48.1 million Biobehavioral Health Building in University Park, Pa. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, 93,500-sf facility will provide teaching and research space for the College of Health and Human Development. Construction will begin on the four-story facility in October of 2010 with occupancy expected in November of 2012. The construction manager for the project is Massaro. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Trinity College was awarded $746,231 in September of 2010 to renovate five research laboratories in the Clement Chemistry Building in Hartford, Conn. The funding was made available by the National Science Foundation as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The project includes a completed renovation of the existing labs as well as new lighting, electrical, and plumbing systems. Construction will begin in December of 2010 and reach completion in April of 2011.

Buck Institute for Age Research will begin construction in fall of 2010 on a $41 million stem cell research facility in Novato, Calif. Ground was broken on the 65,600-sf project in summer of 2010 with completion expected in March of 2012. Designed by Perkins + Will of San Francisco, the facility will house twelve open-plan labs, cell and tissue storage space, offices, and a fitness center. The building will include a basement and three floors above ground and will feature a geothermal heating and cooling system.

The University of York opened the £5 million Centre for Immunology and Infection (CII) in the United Kingdom in September of 2010. The three-story, 1,350-sm facility houses biocontainment suites for the study of high risk pathogens and space for clinical trials. The translational research facility was created in partnership by Hull York Medical School and the Department of Biology at the University of York. The general contractor for the project was GB Building Solutions. Construction began on the facility in July of 2009.

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences broke ground in September of 2010 on a $50 million facility in East Boothbay, Maine. The first phase of construction includes the $10 million Bigelow Center for Blue Biotechnology. The three-story, 25,600-sf building will house labs, offices, conference rooms, and the Center for the Collection of Marine Phytoplankton. Completion is expected in November of 2011. The completed campus will include buildings for the Center for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate Change and the Center for Ocean Health.

Michigan State University dedicated the $90 million Secchia Center in Grand Rapids in September of 2010. Housing the College of Human Medicine, the seven-story, 180,000-sf facility provides teaching labs, classrooms, simulation suites, clinical exam rooms, offices, and student areas. Construction began on the facility in April of 2008. The Secchia Center was created in partnership with Spectrum Health, Van Andel Institute, Saint Mary’s Health Care, and Grand Valley State University. The project team included construction manager The Christman Co.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory completed the Advanced Light Source (ALS) User Support Building in September of 2010. The $35 million project houses R&D labs for battery technology research, offices, conference rooms, and high bay staging space. The project received $14.7 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Cubist Pharmaceuticals broke ground in September of 2010 on a 104,000-sf expansion of its research facility in Lexington, Mass. The project will provide additional laboratory space for pharmaceutical development. Completion is expected in early 2012.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has completed construction of the $224 million Physical Sciences Facility in Richland, Wash. The 200,000-sf project was designed by Flad Architects and built by a joint venture of Lydig Construction and George Grant. The Physical Sciences Facility supports national security and energy research missions with three main buildings: radiation detection, materials science and technology, and nuclear and chemical weapons compliance testing.

Wheaton College is building the $42 million Mars Science and Technology Center in Norton, Mass. The 99,000-sf project includes renovation of the first floor of the existing science center and construction of a three-story, 77,800-sf building. Designed by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, the facility will provide teaching and research labs and will house the departments of biology, chemistry, math, computer sciences, physics, and astronomy. The general contractor for the project is BOND Construction.