Research and Development

Pennsylvania State University celebrated the opening of the $121 million Hershey Cancer Institute on June 26, 2009. The 176,000-sf facility is located on the Hershey Medical Center Campus in University Park, Pa. Designed by Payette of Boston, the translational research facility integrates clinical treatment and medical research. The project team included associate architect Array Healthcare Facilities Solutions, construction manager Gilbane Building, and MEP engineer Bard, Rao + Athanas (BR+A).

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is planning to construct the $28 million Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA) in Berkeley, Calif. Supported by $20 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and additional funding from the Department of Energy, the accelerator will be located in the existing Building 71. The renovated facility will house a beam producing gamma rays, neutrons, and photomuons and will feature extensive radiation shielding.

Pfizer will invest €11 million to construct the Kilo Technology Laboratory in Ringaskiddy, Ireland. The dedicated R&D laboratory will be located in the existing Process Development Centre on Pfizer’s County Cork campus. Housing 100 employees, the facility will support the creation of new manufacturing technologies.

The Department of Energy began construction on the $912 million National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) in July of 2009. Located at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., the NSLS-II will support multidisciplinary research in advanced materials, nanotechnology, condensed matter, materials physics, chemistry, and biology. The project received $150 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will replace the existing National Synchrotron Light Source which began operations in 1982.

Princeton University is building a 236,000-sf, four-story chemistry building in Princeton, N.J. Replacing existing chemistry facilities, the building will house teaching and research labs, department offices, lecture halls, and an auditorium. The sustainably-designed facility will feature self-closing fume hoods, photovoltaic panels, and advanced HVAC systems. The project team includes Hopkins Architects, Payette, and Turner Construction.

University College Dublin is planning to build a €60 million research and innovation facility in Dublin, Ireland. Housing research, teaching, and chemistry laboratories, the 10,000-sm facility will be accompanied by 8,600-sm of renovated space in the existing UCD science center. The project, which will accommodate more than 2,000 undergraduate students and 525 postgraduate students, is part of University College Dublin’s campus master plan to further Ireland’s national science education and research initiative.

Elanco officially broke ground on its 130,000-sf headquarters in Greenfield, Ind., in July of 2009. Located on 20-acres in the Progress Park life sciences development, the facility will enable the global animal health company to consolidate operations with its existing R&D facilities in Greenfield. Elanco is a division of Eli Lilly and Co.

Esco announced the launch of a new range of Pharmacon Downflow Booths in July of 2009. Downflow booths are used in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries for operations such as sampling, grinding, dispensing, and filling, which generate airborne particles. The booths support processes that involve hazardous, toxic, or sensitizing materials and protect operators and adjoining areas from exposure to aerosols of the process materials.Esco Pharmacon Downflow Booths feature:

National Coatings opened the Center for Technical Innovation in Camarillo, Calif., in late June of 2009. The state-of-the-art R&D laboratory is equipped with advanced instrumentation for the creation of energy efficient roofing and coating technologies.

The University of British Columbia is planning to renovate two buildings of the Biological Sciences Complex in Vancouver, Canada. Designed by Acton Ostry Architects with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant, this upgrade work will consist of a total of 61,670-nsf of laboratory and laboratory support space. Together, these buildings will house research labs, bioimaging facilities, aquatic animal holding, classrooms, and academic offices.

General Electric Co. is planning to build the $100 million Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center in Van Buren Township, Mich. Sited to provide a revitalization of the Detroit area's manufacturing sector, the 100,000-sf R&D facility will house up to 1,200 engineers and researchers engaged in the development of clean energy technologies.

Fraunhofer Institute for Circuits and Systems (IMS) completed a €26.2 million RFID research building in Duisburg, Germany, in early summer of 2009. The three-story InHaus2 facility provides laboratories and offices for developing advanced radio frequency identification tags, including building monitoring and construction technologies. The general contractor for the project was Hochtief.

City University of New York is constructing phase one of the $59 million Advanced Science Research Center. The 200,000-sf laboratory building will support research in photonics, nanotechnology, water and environmental sensing, structural biology, and neuroscience. Featuring a core cleanroom for diagnosis and fabrication, the Advanced Science Research Center will house advanced imaging instrumentation, a rooftop observatory, a 100-seat auditorium, a café, and an education center.

Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai opened its £100 million European Knowledge Centre in Hatfield, U.K., in early July of 2009. Located on 14.5 acres in the Hatfield Business Park, the facility will accommodate 500 employees. The project includes a research laboratory, a manufacturing facility, an office building, and shared facilities. The European Knowledge Centre integrates the functions of discovery research, clinical development, production, packaging, marketing, and administration. 

Texas A&M University broke ground on the Citrus Center in Weslaco on June 30, 2009. Designed by Kell Munoz of San Antonio, the research facility is slated for completion in summer of 2010. The two-story Citrus Center will house research labs, diagnostic labs, meeting rooms, classrooms, administrative offices, and faculty offices. A large open laboratory will feature tissue culture areas, a cold room, and a mass spectrometer. The facility will support research on citrus fruit growth and production.