Research and Development

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Jefferson Laboratories was awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification in August of 2010. Designed by KlingStubbins, the facility was created by transforming a former chemical weapons arsenal building into the modern day research facility known as Building 50. Located in Jefferson, Ark., the seven-story tower was retrofitted to accommodate administrative, financial, and computer operations offices and support space.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new strategic plan for public health emergency preparedness in August of 2010. Designed to optimize vaccine creation and supply, the plan includes a significant investment in the Food and Drug Administration to streamline the process by which vaccines are reviewed and approved. Centers of Innovation for Advanced Development and Manufacturing would be established, and flu vaccine manufacturing would be upgraded.

Tulane University is initiating a renovation of its biomedical research laboratories in New Orleans. Supported by $13.5 million in federal stimulus funding, the project will create open interdisciplinary laboratories in 31,915 sf of existing space on three floors. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will include research suites, tissue culture rooms, collaboration space, and support.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will build out 33,660 nsf of shell space in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute in Little Rock to house translational research laboratories. Supported by $10.4 million in federal stimulus funding, the collaborative facility will support the development of mechanism-based, molecularly-targeted novel cancer therapeutics.

Tufts University Medford will renovate 19,627 nsf of existing wet lab space to house the Collaborative Cluster in Genome Structure and Developmental Patterning. Accommodating 70 scientists, the sustainably designed research facility will be contiguous with the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. The project is supported by $9.4 million in federal stimulus funding.

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.

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.

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 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.