Nanotechnology

Missouri State University is planning to construct an electromagnetic device fabrication laboratory at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC) in Springfield. Funded by a $125,000 donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the facility will enable scientists from academia and industry to engage in nanotechnology research and development to create devices that can sense heat, radio, or microwave energy for defense and homeland security applications.

The University of California, Riverside broke ground on its new Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Building on January 10, 2008. The $53-million project will be the first facility at UCR devoted to nanotechnology research and is slated for completion in 2010. The 77,000-asf project will accommodate interdisciplinary instruction and research in nanotechnology, materials science, and bioengineering. The facility will house joint programs for the Bourns College of Engineering and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

The Georgia Institute of Technology is constructing the $80 million Marcus Nanotechnology Building in Atlanta. Ground was broken on the project, which houses the NRCB (Nanotechnology Research Center Building) cleanrooms, in August of 2006 with completion slated for summer of 2008. The project is comprised of five stories of laboratory and office space and a 30,000-sf, three-level cleanroom.

Bristol University is constructing the £11 million Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information in the United Kingdom. Slated for completion in spring of 2008, the facility will feature advanced noise and vibration reduction technologies. The building will accommodate researchers from the disciplines of biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and physics engaged in nanotechnology and quantum computation research.

The University of California, Los Angeles dedicated the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) facility on December 14, 2007. Designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, the interdisciplinary facility houses laboratories and leading edge equipment for nanoscience research and development. The Institute accommodates 75 faculty members and researchers and over 300 graduate students engaged in creating biomedical, manufacturing, and information technologies.

Harvard University opened the $155 million Laboratory for Integrated Science and Engineering (LISE) in Cambridge in November of 2007. Sited mostly underground, the building includes a 10,000-sf cleanroom with advanced filtration capabilities and vibration-isolated architecture. Designed by Rafael Moneo, LISE features open spaces for spontaneous researcher interaction and collaboration.

The University of Notre Dame broke ground in November of 2007 on the $69.4 million Stinson-Remick Hall of Engineering in Notre Dame, Ind. The 142,000-sf facility will house a nanotechnology research center, an energy center, an 11,800-sf semiconductor processing and device fabrication cleanroom, and an undergraduate learning center. Designed to enhance interdisciplinary research, the project is slated for completion by late 2009.

SouthWest NanoTechnologies broke ground on a 15,000-sf single-wall carbon nanotube manufacturing facility in Norman, Okla., in July of 2007. The $3.9 million project will include a vibration-free testing laboratory and space for 27-ft tall reactors. Occupancy is slated for the second quarter of 2008. The project team includes architect Mark Krittenbrink with Armstrong Construction as general contractor.

Brookhaven National Laboratory dedicated the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) in Upton, N.Y., on May 21, 2007. HDR Architecture  provided full A/E services for this new facility that will provide researchers state-of-the-art capabilities to explore and develop nanoscale materials aimed at helping the U.S. achieve energy independence. The 94,500-sf facility is the last of five Nanoscale Science Research Centers built by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at its national laboratories.

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) began construction on its Onna-Son campus in late 2006. The interdisciplinary research institute will accommodate approximately 300 faculty and 3,000 researchers in the areas of life science, neuroscience, biology, chemistry, nanotechnology, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and physics. Housing research facilities, laboratories, seminar rooms, a library, auditorium, housing, and dining, the two-site campus will feature a three-wing laboratory zone designed to maximize interaction and collaboration.

Norfolk State University dedicated the $35 million Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research in April 2007 on its Norfolk, Va., campus. The nanotechnology facility houses cleanrooms, laboratories, and offices and will be fully occupied by fall of 2007. The building is the first phase of a planned 25-acre technology project called the Research and Innovations to Support Empowerment (RISE) park.

Contract research organization Analytical Bio-Chemistry (ABC) broke ground in March 2007 on its new $14.4 million laboratory facility in Columbia, Mo. Sited in the University of Missouri’s Discovery Ridge Research Park, the 90,000-sf modular and scalable facility will house pharmaceutical development operations. The general contractor on the design-build project is ARCO Construction Company of St. Louis. The facility is being designed by ACI Boland Architects. Completion is slated for early 2008.

Pennsylvania State University is planning to construct a 350,000-sf Materials/Life Science research facility at its campus in University Park. The total project investment for the biomedical and nanotechnology engineering facility is estimated at $190 million.

The University of Queensland opened the $70-million Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) in Brisbane on Oct. 23, 2006. Located on the school's St. Lucia campus, the six-level facility will accommodate research combining the biological, physical, and chemical sciences. Housing over 250 staff and students with a maximum capacity of 350, the center houses state-of-the-art microfabrication facilities, a GMP-ready bioprocessing facility, world-class microscopy facilities, and advanced data storage and visualization capabilities. 

UC Berkeley will open the $162-million Stanley Hall in January of 2007. The 285,000-sf biosciences and bioengineering facility will house approximately 40 research labs, administrative and bioengineering department offices, and up to 10 core facilities. One of these core facilities, the 11,000-sf Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center, will manufacture chips for biochemical and medical applications. Stanley Hall will serve over 30 faculty and over 100 graduate students and is designed to foster multi-disciplinary collaboration.