Image © David Revette Photography, courtesy of Ellenzweig.

Previously, the Biology department was separated between two buildings a block apart. One building was over 90 years old, the other more than 35. Neither facility leant itself to teaching or research in the emerging multidisciplinary scientific environment, which depends heavily upon interaction and collaboration for it’s success. To facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, the new complex incorporate facilities for biology teaching and research, and chemistry teaching. Chemistry research is located next door in the Center for Science and Technology (CST), now united with the Life Sciences Complex via a new atrium. The atrium utilizes the existing glass front of the CST. A spacious interior, which includes a café, invites social interaction between faculty, students, and researchers.

The L-shaped Life Sciences Complex is organized into two wings: The research wing houses laboratories for molecular and cellular biology, the teaching wing provides classrooms and laboratories for biology and chemistry. Lab support facilities include rooftop greenhouses, a plant growth facility, and a vivarium. Faculty offices, departmental administrative offices, lounges, and common rooms are located throughout the complex.

The biology research laboratories feature flexible, modular “customizable zones.” Common support facilities are organized at the center of the complex, with research labs located around the perimeter of the building. This plan provides visibility into the labs from the corridors and permits natural light to illuminate the rooms.

The biology and chemistry teaching laboratories are designed to maximize flexibility and student-faculty interaction. The labs share common support spaces and this facilitates the interdisciplinary majors such as Biochemistry.

Biology and chemistry teaching laboratories are adjacent to one another and a biochemistry/molecular biology teaching laboratory is shared by the Biology and Chemistry departments. These two departments have had a history of productive collaboration. They jointly developed and now oversee a biochemistry undergraduate major and the graduate program called “Structural Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics.”

Nearly every classroom and many of the public areas the Life Sciences Complex are light-filled and attractive, which is intended to foster student alertness and willingness to actively participate. The labs are designed to be comfortable, with write-up desks located near the windows for maximum natural light. Each lab has at least 250 sf of customizable space making the repurposing of research space easier and more affordable.

Small, informal areas are tucked away where students can meet to study in small groups. On a more formal level, compact conference rooms are provided to bring small groups together to present their latest data using AV technology or to have brainstorming sessions on whiteboards. Ample support spaces are available for shared or general uses such as confocal microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, cell culture, micro-array, and plant growth.

A 300-car parking garage was designed and constructed concurrently with the Life Sciences Complex project using fast-track delivery to replace surface parking formerly on the site.

Project Information
Building Owner:		Syracuse University
Building Location:		Syracuse, NY UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Multidisciplinary Scientific Teaching and Research
Project Delivery Method:		Construction Management
Construction Cost:		$77,859,200
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$331
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Education: Life Sciences
Total GSF:		235,000
Project Team
Architect - Design		Ellenzweig
Architect of Record		Ellenzweig
Construction Management		Barr & Barr, Inc.
Consultant - Cost Analysis		Vermeulens Cost Consultants
Consultant - Geotechnical		John P. Stopen Engineering Partnership
Consultant - Landscape Architect		Hargreaves Associates
Consultant - Lighting		Lam Partners Inc.
Consultant - MEP Engineer		BR+A/Bard,Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers Inc.
Consultant - Structural Engineer		LeMessurier Consultants Inc.
Laboratory Planner		Ellenzweig
Security Specialist		Kroll Schiff & Associates Inc.
Profile Created 02/02/2010
Last Updated 02/03/2010
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.

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