Research and Development

The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) has completed construction of the Interdisciplinary Research Building (IRB) Phase II, a 94,000-sf expansion project. Designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent of Atlanta, the $27.3-million, five-story project includes a mechanical penthouse and a life sciences incubator for developing biotech business from scientific discoveries. The facility provides research laboratory and office space for the MCG Department of Physiology, the Center for Biology and Genomic Medicine, and the Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development.

The USDA is constructing a BSL-3AG replacement facility in Ames, Iowa. Designed to foster scientific collaboration in animal health and food safety among three separate federal government agencies, the facility is structured for concurrent research on multiple animal disease pathogens. Designed by Merrick & Company of Aurora, Colo., the $60-million facility and $20-million infrastructure upgrade will include 159,000 sf of total space, 52,000-sf of it in high containment areas.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Agilent Technologies has awarded a facilities management contract for all of its properties to Glendale-based Johnson Controls. The five-year contract includes mechanical, electrical, plumbing, operations and maintenance, project management, building fabric maintenance and general services for Agilent’s 17 million sf of owned and leased properties in thirty countries. Agilent manufactures scientific and analysis equipment.

Oregon State University is planning a technology research park on 52 acres near its Corvalis, Ore., campus. The RFP process is expected to reach completion by year-end 2004, with the first building opening in July of 2006. Comprised of as many as three anchor buildings housing multiple companies, the project will also house laboratory and office space. Targeted industries include bioscience and health, mixed signal processing, and pharmaceuticals. The first multiclient building will be between 40,000 sf and 85,000 sf.

Scripps/University Biotech Consortium is planning to build a Florida Universities and Scripps East Research Consortium Center adjacent to its planned 364,000-sf facility in Palm Beach County. Sited on 150 acres, the first phase of the $10 million, 15,000-gsf project includes design and construction of a campus gateway, a central utility plant, a large reception area, office suites, and meeting rooms.

M+W Zander U.S. Operations is completing the $3.5-million office and cleanroom construction training center in 60,000 sf of Building 44 at the Watervliet Arsenal in Watervliet, N.Y. A joint venture of Albany NanoTech, Arsenal Business and Technology Partnership, and M+W Zander, the center will train members of the Pipe Fitters Union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and sheet metal workers to construct and maintain cleanroom facilities and install precision machinery.

Tysons Foods is working with Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum of St. Louis to design a new $40 million research, development, and training facility in Springdale, Ark. The Discovery Center will be sited on 16 acres at Tyson’s corporate campus and will accommodate Tyson’s research and development team, management training staff, and marketing group. The center will house 220 employees and will feature 20 product development kitchens; a USDA-inspected pilot plant; a consumer focus group area; a packaging design and development testing facilities; and a proprietary sensory testing lab.

The State of Texas and International Sematech are launching the Advanced Materials Research Center (AMRC) with the University of Texas and other Texas universities. Located in Austin, the semiconductor research consortium will accelerate the commercialization of critical technology research. Funding in the amount of $40 million will be provided by the newly formed Texas Enterprise Fund; the remaining $160 million will be funded from various sources over the next four years.

Washington State University (WSU) is planning the seven-building Research and Education Complex on its Pullman campus. Each building will accommodate approximately 100,000 sf. Building 1, a $39 million addition to the existing Johnson Hall, will house bioscience research and is expected to reach completion in June 2005. Building 2, the $62-million Biotechnology/Life Sciences Facility, will include a vivarium.

Spectrum Astro, a designer and manufacturer of space mission satellites, has opened a new center in Gilbert, Ariz. Sited on 80 acres near Spectrum Astro’s corporate headquarters, the 135,000-sf factory accommodates assembly, integration, and test space. The facility can produce more than 20 satellites simultaneously. The facility features multiple cleanroom integration and test areas, including a 14,400-sf assembly bay.

San Jose State University  (SJSU) has opened the Space Technology Center and the Metropolitan Technology Center in the NASA Research Park in Mountain View, Calif. Both centers are sited in building 583C and share laboratory, office, and classroom space. The Space Technology Center, led by SJSU, is a government, industry, and educational consortium that includes Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and The Aerospace Corp.

Arizona State University’s ASU Research Park in Phoenix will be the home of the Army Flexible Display Center, a government-industry collaboration center for the research, development, and manufacture of multi-functional display technology. The 250,000-sf building previously accommodated Motorola’s flat panel display R&D operations.

The University of Wisconsin Medical School has contracted Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum to design a $265-million Interdisciplinary Research Complex on the school’s Madison campus. The first $135-million phase of the project consists of 437,600 sf of laboratory, vivarium, imaging, and gross anatomy space and is slated for occupancy in 2008. The facility will accommodate interdisciplinary health science research and promote lab-to-clinic research. Zimmerman Design Group of Milwaukee is also on the project team.    

UC Davis is partnering with Sierra Nevada College to create the $24-million Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village, Nev. The facility will be created in cooperation with the Desert Research Institute and the RAND Corp. and will accommodate science and teaching on the preservation of alpine lakes. Housing a 300-person conference center, laboratories and classrooms for Sierra Nevada College, and offices and laboratories for the UC Davis Tahoe Research Group and the Desert Research Institute, the center will incorporate environmentally friendly building practices.

San Diego-based Scripps Research Institute is developing a 364,000-sf research laboratory and administrative compound on farmland in Palm Beach County, Fla. The $140 million facility will house state-of-the-art biomedical research labs with a focus on applied research and commercialization of scientific discoveries. Slated to open in 2006, the facility will collaborate with the Florida Atlantic University-based Enterprise Development Corp. to develop industry partnerships. Scripps plans to hire between 30 and 40 staffers in the first year of operation.