SRI International broke ground on a 37,000-sf research and development facility in St. Petersburg, Fla., on October 30, 2008. Housing 100 investigators and staff engaged in marine science and technology research, the project will support the development of maritime port security technologies for the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. The two-story building was designed by HOK and is being built by Manhattan Construction Company.
Washington University in St. Louis broke ground on a 150,875-sf energy and environmental science facility in late October of 2008. Housing the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Stephen and Camilla Brauer Building will connect to the existing biomedical engineering facility, Whitaker Hall. The project will provide research and instructional laboratories, classrooms, conference rooms, and faculty offices for the School of Engineering's Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (EECE).
The Department of Energy is constructing the $224 million Physical Sciences Facility for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. The three-building, 200,000-sf project includes facilities for radiation detection, materials science and technology, and nuclear and chemical weapons compliance testing. Ground was broken on the project in August of 2007 with construction commencing in August of 2008. Completion is expected in 2010.
The University of Texas is constructing a three-building biomedical complex in Houston. The three facilities total approximately 400,000 sf and have a construction cost of $161.5 million. The $90 million UT Dental Branch facility is slated for completion in 2010. The $23 million Neuroscience Building will be completed in 2009. The $41 million Biomedical Research and Education Facility, also slated for completion in 2009, will promote translational research by exploring the intersection of engineering and medicine. The three projects broke ground in August of 2007.
West Virginia University officially opened a $12 million addition to the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources in Morgantown in October of 2008. The four-story facility houses biomedical engineering labs, group study rooms, offices, a 120-seat classroom, and the Research Center for Alternative Fuels and Engine Emissions.
Rowan University opened the $10 million Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center in October of 2008 in Glassboro, N.J. Located in the 200-acre South Jersey Technology Park, the 45,000-sf facility provides incubator and laboratory space for University, industry, and government research. The second floor houses the nonprofit Educational Information and Resource Center and the Challenger Learning Center, a simulated NASA space mission for middle school students.
The University of Utah will break ground in summer of 2009 on the $130 million James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building in Salt Lake City. The 193,000-sf project is part of the $500 million Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR) and will anchor the University’s new Interdisciplinary Quadrangle. Housing advanced imaging and nanotechnology laboratories, the facility will include a 20,000-sf nanofabrication suite. The multidisciplinary building will support biomedical and neuroscience research.
Stanford University School of Medicine broke ground on the $200 million Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building on October 27, 2008 in Stanford, Calif. The 200,000-sf facility is scheduled to open in summer of 2010 and will be the largest stem cell research facility in the United States. Housing the Stanford Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute, the building will feature an open design to encourage collaboration with a large atrium connecting two research wings.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison completed the $12.5 million Institute for Influenza Viral Research in October of 2008. Located in the University Research Park in Madison, the 30,000-sf BSL-3 facility accommodates flu vaccine research for the School of Veterinary Medicine. The design-build contractor was ACS of Madison, Wis.
SANYO Commercial Solutions introduced its newly redesigned MIR-154 and MIR-254 refrigerated incubators in October of 2008. Offering a wide variety of temperature range, humidity and lighting patterns, the MIR-154 and MIR-254 environmental test chambers enable studies to be accurately reproduced and controlled.
Charles River Laboratories opened its 60,000-sf preclinical facility in Shanghai in October of 2008. The drug development building will begin providing GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) biopharmaceutical research and development services in the first quarter of 2009. The project includes vivarium facilities for animal research and will comply with AAALAC (Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care) and U.S. FDA guidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control will initiate construction in January of 2009 on the second phase of the Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases facility in Fort Collins, Colo. The first 165,000-sf phase, representing 80 percent of the completed project, broke ground in August of 2004 and reached completion in May of 2007. Phase two is comprised of the completion of the fourth floor of the facility and is slated for completion in early 2010.
Utah State University broke ground on the Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) building in October of 2008 in North Logan. The $60 million facility will house incubator space as well as USU’s Center for Advanced Nutrition, the Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging, and incubator space. The 110,000-sf project will include a a nanofabrication facility, vivarium, laboratories, offices, and a large kitchen. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the building. Completion is slated for early 2011.
Imperial College London opened its £8.4 million bioengineering education and research facility in London in October of 2008. Located on the South Kensington campus, the project will provide research and teaching laboratories, lecture halls, offices, and conference rooms for the Department of Bioengineering.
The North Carolina Research Campus celebrated the opening of three buildings on its 350-acre life sciences campus in Kannapolis in October of 2008. The $1.5 billion project was designed by Narmour Wright Creech Architecture and developed by Castle & Cooke. The campus includes the 311,000-sf Murdock Core Lab which features a basement vivarium housing 48,000 rodents.
