The facility supports pioneering research in nanomaterials and nanotechnology. Primary areas of research and technology development focus on materials at the atomic-molecular scale for microsensors, electronics miniaturization, nanoscience, and polymer protective coatings. This is also a key facility for maintaining growth in the regional high technology fields.

The facility consists of three main elements: a two-story administration / dry-lab wing that includes electronics and process engineering labs and computer center; a two-story wet lab wing, which includes instrumentation, material chemistry, and biology labs; and a 12,000-sf cleanroom wing housing ISO 5 and ISO 7 cleanrooms. All three wings are designed around a central commons space to bring together each of these elements in a very simple, functional, and cost-effective manner.

With a very limited budget of only $14 million ($186/sf) many creative, cost-effective solutions with a focus on simplicity, performance, and flexibility were used to deliver this project for $12.9 million ($172/sf). It should be noted that the typical construction cost range for a similar facility is $250 to $350 per sf. Some of the key solutions and features include:

• A highly defined building program, with clear performance requirements created by the owners, users, and design team, was an essential tool for developing viable options.
• The innovative cleanroom wing includes an isolated high-mass clear-span structure to isolate the modular ISO 5 and ISO 7 cleanrooms from the rest of the facility and to provide future flexibility.
• The cleanroom design optimized the traditional bay-and-chase and ballroom concepts using modular room layouts incorporating the operational and flexibility features of a two-level cleanroom for the cost of a traditional single-level cleanroom.
• Many energy-efficient systems were incorporated in the facility to reduce energy usage and to provide safe, simple, and effective operability.
• Cost-effective, performance-driven design solutions are used throughout the facility.

From the challenges of maintaining strict interior environmental conditions in the extreme North Dakota weather to state-of-the-art laboratories and cleanrooms, as well as an inviting and attractive architectural design, this facility is a model for creative cost-effective solutions for the demanding and ever changing high-technology research world.

Project Information
Building Owner:		North Dakota State University
Building Location:		Fargo, North Dakota UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction
Principal Building Function:		Nanoscale science and engineering research
Project Delivery Method:		Fast Track
Project Timeline		Nov 2001 Planning Start Design Start Sep 2002 Construction Start Jan 2004 Completion Last known status: Completed
Construction Cost:		$12,900,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$172
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Biology Chemistry Cleanroom Education Education: Biology Education: Chemistry Education: Computer Lab Engineering Laboratory: Chemistry Laboratory: Dry Laboratory: Nanotechnology Laboratory: Research Laboratory: Wet Materials Science
Total GSF:		75,000
Project Team
Architect		Hammel Green and Abrahamson Inc. (HGA)
Laboratory Planner		Research Facilities Design (RFD)
Profile Created 01/01/2000
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.