The 150,000-sf, $45-million facility consolidates biomedical, agricultural, ecological, and environmental researchers in interdisciplinary laboratories with special facilities such as imaging, tissue culture, and a small-animal barrier vivarium.

The Coverdell Center includes a basement, three stories, and a penthouse. Mechanical systems are housed in the attic behind the cornice, and wells are used for air intake and exhaust. Architectural chimneys are used for lab exhaust.

A barrier rodent facility occupies 18,000 sf in the basement and contains 30,000 animals with a small area for fish in the corner. A dumb waiter provides access from the rodent facility to the imaging suite on the main floor.

Also located on the main floor are the administrative and faculty offices, lecture hall, two specialized conference rooms, and the bioimaging facility. The 10,000-sf academic research bioimaging suite houses EEG and MEG equipment, a 3-Tesla MRI, and a small bore animal magnet.

The second and third floors feature open wet labs, faculty offices, and small gathering areas for interaction. The third floor also has a faculty lounge and a BSL-3 facility with four suites.

The open labs are flexible enough to meet the demand for necessary configuration changes in the future. Adjacent small “flex labs” and specialty rooms provide additional work space. The open design enables researchers to collaborate and exchange ideas.

Ground water and rain water recovery systems, as well as energy-conservation measures, are included in the design. The recovery systems provide water for irrigation of the gardens, cooling tower make-up, and plumbing needs. The use of the systems reduces potable water consumption and mitigates ground water at the basement level.

Convenient interaction zones are located throughout the building. Conference rooms and break rooms are provided in central locations to promote unplanned interaction. Daylit vestibules, complete with comfortable seating, whiteboards, and a view of the campus, are located at the end of each public corridor.

Faculty offices are relatively spacious at approximately 180 sf. Workstations have access to data drops and voice drops. The offices feature quality cherry wood furniture.

A faculty lounge with catering facilities and an outdoor patio is ideal for seminars and other gatherings. Conference rooms are situated on both sides of the lounge and can be readily accessed to increase the size of the area for development issues, programmatic-related social interactions, and other large events.

The building contains one 80-seat auditorium. Desktop power and data drops, along with wireless capabilities, are available in the lecture hall and the adjacent executive conference room on the first floor. Wireless capabilities are available throughout the building.

A catering kitchen is located near the lobby, which can comfortably seat 80 people for events such as the University’s Arch Foundation Board of Trustees dinner.

A card key monitoring system controls who is permitted into the labs during any given time. principal investigators and post-doctorate researchers can have unrestricted access to the labs throughout the day, however, University regulations specify that undergraduates can only be in the labs during normal business hours. The presence of an animal facility mandates access control and high-security clearance for facility users.

Project Information
Building Owner:		University of Georgia
Building Location:		Athens, Georgia UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Biomedical science research
Project Timeline		Nov 2002 Planning Start Sep 2003 Design Start Jun 2004 Construction Start Mar 2006 Completion Last known status: Completed
Project Cost:		$45,000,000
Construction Cost:		$34,500,000
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Atrium Auditorium Biomedical Biotechnology Cleanroom Education Education: Biomedical Education: Classroom Education: Faculty Office Education: Lecture Or Seminar Hall Healthcare: Imaging Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory Laboratory: Biomedical Research Laboratory: Dry And Wet Laboratory: Teaching Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Research: Biomedical Secure Facility Vivarium
Total GSF:		150,000
Project Team
Architect		Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK)
Laboratory Planning		Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK)
Supplier - Laboratory Equipment		STERIS Corporation
Supplier - Laboratory Equipment		Fisher Hamilton
Supplier - Laboratory Equipment		NUAIRE Inc.
Supplier - Mechanical		Carrier Corp.
Profile Created 08/01/2006
Last Updated 11/21/2006
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.