McGuire Translational Research Facility

The 96,000-sf, four-story TRF includes an 8,063-sf vivarium, and 35,001 sf of research laboratories that currently house 33 principal investigators and their staff for a total of 231 occupants. The TRF is home to interdisciplinary researchers from the University's Stem Cell Institute, the Center for Infectious Disease and Microbiology Translational Research, and the College of Pharmacy's Orphan Drug Center devoted to the study of specialty drugs for treating rare conditions.

Lab casework is completely modular, movable, and flexible. All of the benches, utility services, and desks can be moved so they can easily be reconfigured. Since the benches in the TRF are completely moveable, services are no longer hard-piped to the bench but drop from the ceiling using quick-connect fittings therby providing maximum flexibility for power, data, and utilities.

To accommodate the Stem Cell Institute, many of the benches were removed from the Institute's 17,500 square feet of space and tissue culture hoods and incubators were readily installed in their place without disrupting adjacent research operations. The building's inherent flexibility made this change easy to accomplish.

The facility also provides 'bullpens' for research staff work areas in addition to some seating in the labs. Lab 'team rooms' and conference facilities are on each floor. Conference rooms are equipped for remote video conferencing. Each lab unit has a 120 sf alcove that is equipped with fume hoods or biosafety cabinets, shared equipment, microscopes and dark room capabilities to provide for research activities that cannot take place at the benches. In addition each floor is equipped with two environmental rooms and numerous equipment rooms. A linear equipment room/corridor is located between the open lab areas and the alcoves providing ready access between lab and shared alcove areas.

Project Information

Building Owner:

University of Minnesota

Building Location:

Minneapolis, Minnesota UNITED STATES

Project Type:

New Construction

Principal Building Function:

Translational research

Project Delivery Method:

Construction Management

Project Timeline

Dec 2001	Planning Start
Sep 2002	Design Start
Feb 2004	Construction Start
Jun 2005	Completion
Last known status: Completed

Project Cost:

$37,000,000

Construction Cost:

$29,000,000

Cost Per Sq. Ft:

$300

About These Cost Figures

Building Information

Project Includes:

Biomedical
Education
Education: Biomedical
Education: Chemistry
Education: Lecture Or Seminar Hall
Interdisciplinary Research
Laboratory
Laboratory: Biomedical Research
Laboratory: Research
Vivarium

Total GSF:

96,000

Total NSF:

56,804

Efficiency:

59%

Building Population:

231

Project Team

Architect

Perkins+Will

Builder

Kraus Anderson Construction Co.

Consultant - Fire Protection

Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI)

Consultant - Telecommunications

Shen, Milson & Wilke Associates

Engineer - Electrical

Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI)

Engineer - Mechanical

Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI)

Laboratory Planner

Perkins+Will

Supplier - Air Handlers

Haakon Industries

Supplier - Carpet

Durkan Commercial

Supplier - Casework

Fisher Hamilton

Supplier - Chillers

York International

Supplier - Cold Rooms

Nor-Lake Scientific Inc.

Supplier - Environmental Enclosures

Nor-Lake Scientific Inc.

Supplier - Fume Hoods

Fisher Hamilton

Supplier - Glass Block

Viracon

Supplier - Laboratory Airflow Control

Johnson Controls Inc.

Profile Created 04/05/2006

Last Updated 04/04/2006

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.

Fig. 1

Exterior

The new $37-million McGuire Translational Research Facility is an integral component of the University's strategic initiative to expand molecular and cellular biology research, and is a key facility component of the University's six-year plan to rebuild the Medical School faculty.

Fig. 2

Seminar Room

This seminar room is one of several spaces in the TRF that provides support for multi-institutional collaborations, such as the one between the University’s Stem Cell Institute and the Stem Cell Institute at the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium.

Fig. 3

Office Space

The TRF houses 33 principal investigators who report that the facility supports their work, bring people together, and encourages collaboration. (Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota, photographer Don Wong, Minneapolis.)

Fig. 4

Lab Flexibility

The modular system of benches, services, and desks provides optimum flexibility for multi-disciplinary work at the bench. (Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota, photographer Don Wong, Minneapolis.)