Research and Development

A 1,000-acre Wake county site 12 miles from Research Triangle Park (RTP) may house another RTP-like development. “Veridia”  (a name combining Latin “veritas” or truth, and “verdant” meaning green, with “idea”) is the brain-child of Tom Hendrickson, a principal at Zebulon, NC-based Lookout Ventures real estate development company. Combining facilities for residential, retail, technology and biotechnology operations, as well as greenways and parks, the urban, sustainable development facilities may incorporate LEED guidelines.

Construction of the $38-million WSU Vancouver Applied Technology Classroom Building will begin this year.

Labor rates, material prices and competition in the commercial construction marketplace are combining to make this a great year to put up a building.

The United Kingdom’s Medical Research Council is constructing the £197 million Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. Designed by RMJM to foster interaction and collaboration, the facility will provide 27,000 asm of low-vibration research space for 400 scientists and 200 support staff. Construction began on the three-story project in March of 2009 and completion is expected in January of 2012.

The University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine opened the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in May of 2009. Housing advanced facilities to process, culture, and store equine stem cells, the laboratory will also provide stem cell collection kits to veterinarians for harvesting stem cells from blood or bone marrow.

The University of Winnipeg is constructing the 155,000-sf Science Complex and Richardson College for the Environment in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Supported by an $18 million federal infrastructure grant, the $59 million project will house advanced research and teaching laboratories, classrooms, and offices. A minimum of LEED Silver certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project. Ground was broken on the project in November of 2008 with completion expected by March of 2011.

Northwestern University is planning to construct a $200 million biomedical research facility for the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Located on the Streeterville campus of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the facility will connect to the existing Lurie Medical Research Center. A medical office tower providing between 500,000 sf and 700,000 sf will also be constructed at the site.

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation broke ground on an 185,000-sf research tower in Oklahoma City in May of 2009. Providing 34 laboratories, clinical treatment and research space, and administrative offices, the $125 million facility will house 300 researchers, physicians, and staff. Occupancy is slated for spring of 2011. LEED Gold certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project, which will feature a living roof, daylighting, and a sophisticated HVAC system.

Northern Kentucky University is planning to construct the $50.8 million Center for Informatics in Highland Heights. Slated for completion in July of 2010, the 110,000-gsf project will feature a transparent two-story digitorium. Providing 75,000-asf, the Center for Informatics will house flexible research space, classrooms, teaching labs, performance studios, a commons area, and a café. The construction cost of the facility is $40 million.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory broke ground on the $64 million Research Support Facility in Golden, Colo., in May of 2009. Slated for completion in 2010, the 218,000-sf facility will accommodate 700 employees. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. The project team includes designer RNL, general contractor Haselden Construction, and engineering firm Stantec.

The National Science Foundation initiated the Academic Research Infrastructure Program: Recovery and Reinvestment (ARI-R²) in May of 2009. The ARI-R² program will invest in the repair, renovation, or in exceptional cases, the replacement of existing research facilities. It will not support the construction of new research facilities.

South Dakota State University dedicated the $7.5 million Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building in Brookings in May of 2009. Housing classrooms, laboratories, study rooms, and faculty offices for the College of Engineering, the 43,052-gsf instructional facility features a micro- and nano-electronics cleanroom. The top level of the four-story building provides R&D space for industry partners. Construction began on the project in mid-2007.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Health announced plans in May of 2009 to build a flu vaccine research and production facility. The laboratory will eventually manufacture a single human vaccine for swine and avian flu viruses. A flu vaccine laboratory is currently under construction at Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java. Construction began on a flu vaccine facility at the PT Biofarma campus in Bandung in May of 2009.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology received $610 million in federal stimulus funding for research and construction in May of 2009. $360 million will support construction projects at NIST research facilities. The 120,000-sf precision measurement laboratory under construction in Boulder will receive $68.5 million. The facility is expected to reach completion in 2012. The $2 million Net-Zero-Energy Residential Test Facility and a $7 million Fire and Police Services facility will be built in Gaithersburg, Md.

The Canadian government has allocated $34.7 million to support renovations and upgrades at four federal laboratories in Winnipeg. The Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health will receive $24.2 million for facility renovations. The Freshwater Institute will receive $1 million, Health Canada’s Manitoba Regional Laboratory will receive $5.5 million, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s forensic science lab will receive $4 million. The funding is part of the Canada’s $250 million Economic Action Plan.