More than 30 new scientists and their staff occupy the six-story building to conduct research in the areas of receptor biology, gene regulation, cellular and systems neurobiology, molecular epidemiology, and developmental therapeutics.

The first floor houses administrative offices, three scientific laboratories, a café, a loading dock, and a 40-seat presentation room with full multimedia capabilities and flexible furniture for training, conferencing, and lecturing. Floors two through five each contain additional laboratories, support areas, collaboration rooms, a conference room, and nine offices. The collaboration rooms and conference rooms are each equipped with mobile dry erase boards, comfortable furniture, and access to data/network and power. In total, the Zilkha Institute contains 70,146 sf of lab space including an 8,100-sf vivarium, tissue culture rooms, cold rooms, crystallography, crystal growing, dark rooms, and sequencing. The NMR suite contains a 700MHz/54mm ultrashield magnet.

The support spaces are centrally located for easy access to the perimeter labs. The laboratory modules are 10' x 22'-6" with access to compressed air, natural gas, vacuum, di-ionized water, CO2, liquid nitrogen, and emergency power. The building floor plan consists of two interlocking “L”-shaped elements. The elements are organized along a gradient moving progressively from the most public spaces to the support facilities and finally to the secure laboratories. The location of the laboratories on one side of the building capitalizes on the use of natural light and supports the project’s energy saving goals.

Other LEED® Green Building efforts include high-efficiency HVAC equipment, sustainable building materials, and generous natural light in all work spaces.

The penthouse mechanical space contains six variable volume, single zone air handling units, one for each floor. The lab exhaust system is collected in a common plenum on the roof. A remote central plant provides chilled water to the facility.

Project Information
Building Owner:		University of Southern California
Building Location:		Los Angeles, California UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Neurogenetic research laboratory
Project Delivery Method:		Guaranteed Maximum Price
Project Timeline		Jan 1999 Planning Start Jul 1999 Design Start Oct 2000 Construction Start Apr 2003 Completion Last known status: Completed
Project Cost:		$51,000,000
Construction Cost:		$49,300,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$415
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Aquarium Auditorium Biomedical Chemistry Education Genomics Healthcare Healthcare: Psychiatric Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory Laboratory: Research Research Vivarium
Total GSF:		123,000
Project Team
Architect		Perkins+Will
Laboratory Planner		Research Facilities Design (RFD)
Supplier - Fume Hood Controls		Johnson Controls Inc.
Profile Created 01/25/2006
Last Updated 11/06/2006
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.