Research and Development

Drexel University is planning to construct the $49.7 million Constantine Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building in Philadelphia. Slated for completion in June of 2011, the 138,000-sf facility will provide 39 research and teaching laboratories for biology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering. The construction manager for the project is Turner Construction Company. The facility will feature a five-story atrium with a biowall that will function as a natural air filter to remove airborne pollutants.

Babraham Bioscience Technologies will begin construction in January of 2010 on a bioincubator facility in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Located on the Babraham Research Campus, the 8,800-sf building will house flexible laboratories, offices, cell culture suites, and CL2 biocontainment facilities. The project will support up to 16 early stage bioscience companies. Completion is expected by September of 2010.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is initiating a $40 million expansion of its headquarters in Tarrytown, N.Y. The lease of an additional 131,000-sf building will accommodate expanded research and development operations. Regeneron occupies two other laboratory and office facilities at the site, for a total footprint of 390,000 sf. 

Texas A&M University dedicated the Mitchell Physics Buildings in College Station in December of 2009. The George P. Mitchell ’40 Physics Building and the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy were designed by Michael Graves Design Group. Construction began on the $82.5 million project in 2006. The two facilities provide a total of over 197,000-sf of research and teaching laboratories, faculty offices, and lecture facilities.

The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) is planning to construct a £500 million biomedical research facility in London. The project will include a Category 3 biocontainment laboratory for the study of infectious diseases. Accommodating research on mice, rats, and ferrets, the facility will house 1,500 staff and is slated for completion in 2013. The project represents a partnership of the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, The Wellcome Trust, and University College London.

The University of New South Wales broke ground in December of 2009 on the $125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building (TETB) in Sydney, Australia. The facility will support teaching and research in energy policy, market analysis, photovoltaics, nanomaterials, carbon capture and storage, and oil and gas reserves. The sustainably designed building will accommodate 300 engineering students and is slated for completion in 2012.

The U.S. Department of Energy is building the $95 million Chemical and Materials Sciences Building at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Ground was broken on the 160,000-sf project in June of 2009 with completion expected in May of 2011. The three-story facility is being constructed by McCarthy Building Companies. Supported by $60.6 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the research facility will be built to attain LEED Gold sustainable design certification. Cannon Design of St.

Southern Illinois University broke ground in December of 2009 on the 107,884-sf Science Building Complex in Edwardsville. Supported by $78.9 million in state funding, the facility will house teaching and research labs, classrooms, offices, and common areas. The project will also include renovations to the existing 60,000-sf science facility. The Science Building Complex is expected to open in July of 2011.

Syracuse University opened the $12.4 million Green Data Center in Syracuse, N.Y., in December of 2009. Created in partnership with IBM and the state of New York, the 12,000-sf facility is comprised of 6,000 sf of infrastructure space and 6,000 sf of raised-floor data center space. The Green Data Center features energy-efficient IBM servers and an on-site power generation system for electricity, heating, and cooling.

Griffith University opened the $18 million Smart Water Research Centre in late November of 2009 on the Gold Coast campus in Queensland, Australia. The facility will support collaborative research with state water authorities and industry partners to develop technologies and solutions to secure future water supplies. The Smart Water Research Centre houses laboratories, distillation rooms, a resource center, and constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment.

Covance will begin construction in December of 2009 on a food safety and nutritional chemistry laboratory in Battle Creek, Mich. The $14 million project includes the purchase, renovation, and expansion of an existing 30,000-sf building. Occupancy is expected in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The University of Minnesota opened the $69.5 million Medical Biosciences Building in Minneapolis in December of 2009. Designed by Perkins and Will, the 115,000-gsf facility was built by Kraus-Anderson with Sebesta Blomberg as infrastructure engineer. Housing medical research laboratories, offices, and conference space, the facility will support interdisciplinary collaborative research in immunology, neuroscience, cancer research, and infectious diseases. Ground was broken on the project in summer of 2007.

Queensland University of Technology has awarded Leighton Contractors a $205 million contract to manage the design and construction of the Science and Technology Precinct and Community Hub project. Located on the Gardens Point campus in Brisbane, the precinct will support research and teaching in science, technology, engineering, architecture, and mathematics. Comprised of two multi-story towers, the project will feature innovative teaching and research facilities. Construction will begin in 2010 with completion expected in 2012.

Van Andel Institute celebrated the opening of its $175 million Phase II Expansion in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early December of 2009. Designed by Rafael Viñoly, the 242,000-sf medical research and education facility is comprised of eight floors of labs and offices supporting basic and translational research. The sustainably-designed facility was built by a joint venture of Owen-Ames-Kimball Company and The Hunt Construction Group.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) will construct a testing lab in Morgantown, W.V. Supported by $14 million in stimulus funding, the 35,000-sf Performance Verification Laboratory will accommodate the testing of appliances to determine if they meet Department of Energy (DOE) efficiency standards. Featuring controlled environments with consistent room temperatures, the Morgantown facility will be one of eight new research and testing facilities nationwide. Laboratory planning will commence in December of 2009 with completion expected by September of 2013.