The Canadian federal government has selected Cambridge Bay in Nunavut as the site for the planned High Arctic research station. The multidisciplinary facility will operate year-round and is slated for occupancy in 2017. Featuring advanced laboratories and a technology development center, the station will support research on climate change, resource development, and health surveillance.
Thermo Fisher Scientific is expanding its manufacturing capabilities in Shanghai, China, to include the 1300 Series A2 biological safety cabinets. Designed to meet the needs of the Chinese market, this local manufacturing will ensure rapid availability of Thermo Scientific biological safety cabinets to regional laboratories. Designed for superior safety, comfort, and energy efficiency, the 1300 Series A2 biological safety cabinet uses DC motor technology to reduce operating costs as much as 75 percent compared to traditional biological safety cabinets.
Stanford University opened the $420 million Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) in August of 2010. Located underground in Menlo Park, Calif., the facility houses the world’s most powerful X-ray laser. The instrument will support research on fundamental chemistry, physics, materials science, and energy. Construction began on the project in October of 2006. The facility, which was delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, will accommodate 350 scientists. Project funding of $53.6 million was provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The University of Texas is planning to build an $800 million academic medical center in Dallas to replace UT Southwestern University Hospital in St. Paul. The 12-story, 1.3 million-sf facility is slated for completion in September of 2014. Providing 424 beds, the patient-centered hospital will provide integrated facilities for research, education, and clinical treatment. The hospital will include 40 emergency rooms, 24 operating rooms, a helipad, and a dedicated thermal energy plant. Construction is expected to begin on the project in March of 2011.
The University of Tulsa will break ground in October of 2010 on the $14 million J. Newton Rayzor Hall. Housing the departments of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, the two-story facility will provide 24 integrated classrooms and teaching and research labs, 33 offices, five student lounges, and two conference rooms. Completion is expected in late spring of 2012.
The Methodist Hospital Research Institute (TMHRI) will open its 440,000-sf research facility in Houston in October of 2010. Housing 90 principal investigators and 800 staff, the interdisciplinary facility will include a GMP bioprocessing facility and an infectious disease research lab.
CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center is initiating a $995 million modernization of its Montreal facility. The existing hospital will be extensively renovated and two new buildings will be constructed. The first facility will house medical research and the second will provide an intensive care unit, a birthing center, a neonatal unit, and specialty care. The project will add a total of 419 beds. Construction will begin on the new facilities in 2011 and reach completion in 2016.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture broke ground on the second phase of construction at the ARS Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) in August of 2010 in Hilo, Hawaii. Phase 2 will support research on exotic tropical crops, alternative energy sources, and sustainable agriculture with additional offices, screen houses, and head houses.
Networking solutions provider Brocade opened its 75,000-sf R&D laboratory and data center in August of 2010 in San Jose, Calif. Five engineering labs and three data centers were consolidated with the new facility, resulting in a 37 percent reduction in energy consumption and eliminating 4,450 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The data center has a calculated Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metric of 1.3, while comparable data centers usually have a PUE greater than 1.5.
A new Canadian biorefining technology has been adopted by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a recommended technology for the destruction of all transmissible spongiform encephalopathy and microbiological disease agents. The 175 member countries of the OIE formally approved the technology at the 78th General Session held in Paris in May of 2010 for incorporation into the 2010 Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
The University of New South Wales broke ground in August of 2010 on the $125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building in Sydney, Australia. The facility will support research in photovoltaics, carbon capture and storage, oil and gas reserves, nanomaterials, energy policy, and market analysis. Accommodating 300 engineering students and 100 staff members, the sustainably-designed building will include a roof-mounted solar panel array and a gas-fired tri-generation plant for power, heating, and cooling.
Oregon Health and Science University will build two research support facilities at the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Portland, Ore. Supported by $4 million in federal stimulus funding, the project includes outdoor group housing for non-human primates and a 2,344-nsf clinic and hospital facility.
Fitchburg State University is planning a $42 million expansion of Condike Science Center in Fitchburg, Mass. The 54,700-sf addition will house classrooms and teaching and research labs for biology and chemistry. The existing science center will be renovated to provide faculty offices and classrooms for physics and geophysical sciences.
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine is expanding its Drug Discovery Core Facility in Hershey. Supported by $2.78 million federal stimulus funding, the project includes renovation of 6,600 sf on the second floor of the Biomedical Research Building. Consolidating and integrating shared resources for research, the project will provide contiguous offices with dedicated data analysis workstations as well as communal space for faculty and student users.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation will build out two floors of shell space in its existing 186,000-sf tower in Oklahoma City to house translational research on immune-based human disease. Supported by $7 million in stimulus funding, the project will include a 3,400-sf cryostorage facility, clinical space, and 16,600 sf of biomedical research laboratories.
