Research and Development

Construction will begin in October of 2009 on the Turkish Accelerator and Radiation Laboratory at Ankara (TARLA). Slated for completion in 2012, the research facility will house an electron linear accelerator and positron storage rings for the advancement of particle physics and interdisciplinary science. Four additional facilities are also planned at the site, including a charm factory, an SASE FEL (self-amplified stimulated-emission free electron laser), a third generation light source, and a proton accelerator.

The University of Texas at Austin is constructing the $175 million Norman Hackerman Research Building. Slated for completion by year-end 2010, the research and teaching complex will accommodate the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Institute of Neuroscience, and the School of Biological Science. The Hackerman Research Building will include seven organic chemistry teaching labs, 14 organic chemistry research labs, neurobiology labs, and core facilities for electron microscopy, NMR, and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance).

The University of Western Ontario's $22 million Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion is slated for completion in September of 2009. Located in London, Ontario, the 45,000-sf facility houses research laboratories for sustainable technologies and materials. LEED Gold certification will be sought for the project. Supporting the department of engineering, the facility features an atrium, a green roof, a wind turbine, photovoltaic panels, and a water recovery system.

The University of Tennessee will begin construction in fall of 2009 on the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials in Knoxville. Located on the Cherokee Farms campus, the research facility will be built to attain LEED sustainable design certification. The project will utilize solar and geothermal energy and is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Air Force Research Laboratory broke ground on a $36 million expansion of its research facilities at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in July of 2009. The design/build project includes 91,000-sf of new construction and 56,000-sf of renovation. The facilities will support research and administration for AFRL's sensors directorate. Occupancy is slated for April of 2011. Design partners for the project include Edge and Tinney Architects, Heapy Engineering, LJB Inc., and Acoustical Systems.

The University of Oklahoma is constructing the Devon Energy Hall and the ExxonMobile Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility. Both projects are expected to reach completion in fall of 2009. The total cost of both facilities was $42.2 million. Housing two teaching labs and three classrooms, the Devon Energy Hall will provide research space for the College of Engineering's School of Computer Science and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Engineering Practice Facility will house interdisciplinary instructional space for engineering students.

The U.S. Army broke ground on the $40.3 million Ground Systems Power and Energy Laboratory in August of 2009. Located at the Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center in Warren, Mich., the 30,000-sf facility will house testing laboratories for military ground vehicles. Completion is expected by September of 2011. 

The University of Oklahoma Health Center is under construction in Oklahoma City. Five projects totaling $534 million are under way on the 325-acre campus. New construction includes the OU Children’s Physician Building and the Cancer Institute. Additions are being built to the existing Oklahoma Blood Institute, the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation facilities.

Yongye International, a maker of plant and animal nutrient products, has completed an expansion of its R&D center in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. The project included construction of six greenhouses totaling 6,000-sm and creation of an open testing field. The expansion will support development of crop nutrients based on fulvic acid.

The University of California, Los Angeles is building the 175,000-sf Life Sciences Building on its Westwood campus. Replacing the existing life sciences facility, the $155 million building will house the Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; the Department of Physiological Science; and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Comprised of two separate five-story wings connected by a basement, the facility will provide wet and dry research labs, a plant growth lab, and vivarium space. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Marshall University is planning to construct the $50 million Applied Science Center in Huntington, W.V. The 140,000-sf facility will house the College of Information Technology and Engineering, the departments of mathematics and computational sciences, a modeling and digital imaging resource facility, and engineering and bioengineering research labs. Occupancy is expected in 2012.

The international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released three new reports on the safety of engineered nanomaterials.

The University of Waterloo broke ground on the $9 million Summit Centre for the Environment in Huntsville, Ontario, in August of 2009. The 30,000-sf research facility will support environmental science and ecology with laboratories, classrooms, seminar rooms, and dormitories. Completion is expected by fall of 2010.

The Department of Agriculture announced in June of 2009 that it will provide $176 million in funding for renovations, repairs, and maintenance at 36 laboratory facilities. The funding has been allocated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The University of Colorado dedicated the $56 million Science and Engineering Building in Colorado Springs in August of 2009. The 156,000-sf facility houses 53 research labs, 32 teaching labs, and 11 classrooms. The sustainably designed building houses the departments of biology, physics, and mechanical and aerospace engineering, as well as the National Institute for Science, Space, and Security Centers, and the CU Institute for Bioenergetics. Ground was broken for the project in 2006.