Research and Development

Indiana University opened its $37.2 million data center in Bloomington in December of 2009. The facility is one of the first buildings at Indiana University's new technology park and houses information technology infrastructure and mission critical systems, including supercomputers Big Red and Quarry. The secure building is designed to increase reliability and protect from power outages and natural disasters. SmithGroup provided programming, site planning, architectural design, and interior design for the project.

Saint Vincent College is building the $39 million Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion in Latrobe, Pa. The 102,000-gsf facility will serve as the home of the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing. Housing laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, offices, and conference rooms, the Dupré Science Pavilion will enable the college to expand interdisciplinary programs in biotechnology and environmental science.

The University of Michigan is investing $1.8 million to create the North Campus Research Complex in Ann Arbor. The project includes renovation of 92,000-sf in four buildings previously owned by Pfizer. Occupancy is expected in early 2010.

SRI International celebrated the opening of its 37,000-sf marine R&D facility in St. Petersburg, Fla., in December of 2009. The $11 million facility can accommodate 100 investigators and staff engaged in marine science and technology research. The two-story building was designed by HOK and built by Manhattan Construction Company. The facility includes laboratories, offices, classrooms, conference rooms, a machine shop, and a hangar bay. SRI-St.

The Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine broke ground in December of 2009 on a $126 million stem cell research facility in La Jolla, Calif. The 145,087-sf building is slated for completion in 2011. The four-story facility will house laboratories, offices, a conference center, and core facilities with advanced imaging technologies. The general contractor is Lankford & Associates of San Diego, a subsidiary of Colorado-based Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

McLaughlin Research Institute is initiating a 15,000-sf expansion and renovation of its animal research facility in Great Falls, Mont. The project includes a 3,000-sf vivarium addition, a cagewash, and 9,500-sf of renovated laboratory space. An additional 3,000-sf will be constructed as shell space for future expansion. The project will enable a total of 8,000 cages to be housed in the building. The general contractor for the project is Sletten Construction. Completion is expected by summer of 2010.

Oregon Health & Science University will begin construction in February of 2010 on the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Located in the Florida Center for Innovation research park in Tradition, the 98,000-sf laboratory is slated for completion in fall of 2011. The general contractor for the four-story building is Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. of Tampa.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was awarded $15.9 million in December of 2009 by the U.S. Department of Energy to build a new National User Facility for Net-Zero Energy Buildings. Supporting research in building systems integration and the design of net-zero energy buildings, the N-ZEB laboratory facilities will enable researchers from universities, private industry, and other government labs to develop advanced building systems and technologies.

Northrop Grumman Corporation opened the 156,000-sf Innovation Institute in Linthicum, Md., in December of 2009. The advanced technology center houses 450 engineers, researchers, and staff engaged in collaborative research and development of global defense electronics technologies. Featuring team research laboratories, modular offices, and a 175-seat conference center, the LEED-certified facility was built by Manekin Construction of Columbia. 

The National Center for Atmospheric Research will build a $66 million supercomputer facility in Cheyenne, Wyo. The 153,000-sf project will be constructed by Saunders Construction of Denver. Supporting advanced climate modeling, the computer will comprise more than 100,000 processors in a 24,000-sf area with a sub-floor ten feet deep to accommodate infrastructure and cooling needs. Occupancy is expected by year-end 2011.

Natural Resources Canada has awarded Nahanni Construction a $10.9 million contract to expand and renovate the Polar Continental Shelf Program facility in Iqaluit, Nunavut. The facility is located at Resolute Bay and is an important center for arctic research. The design-build project will include construction of a new laboratory, a kitchen and dining facility, and a social and health science research area. Existing lab space will transformed into an expanded office area. Completion is expected in March of 2011.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is building the $496 million Colket Translational Research Building on its South Campus. Slated for completion in 2010, the 450,000-sf, eleven-story facility will include four laboratory floors, administrative offices, a cafeteria, conference space, and a two-story lobby. Four below-grade floors will house infrastructure, laboratory support, and a central utility plant. Office floors are designed for ease of conversion to laboratory space, and the building is constructed to expand vertically to 23 stories to accommodate future growth.

Novartis opened a $250 million technical R&D center in Suzhou, China, in November of 2009. The 10,801-sm pharmaceutical research facility will also support the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates. Construction began on the center in February of 2006. The facility is comprised of a 4,815-sm pilot plant and 5,986-sm of laboratories. Three additional production buildings, with a footprint of 9,682-sm each, are also located on the site.

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.