U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently completed its new Pacific Region headquarters that includes the agency's district office and a modern, multi-purpose laboratory. The new headquarters, which replaces a 50-year-old lab in Los Angeles, is located in Irvine, Calif., and will serve the Southwest Pacific Region.

Extraordinary Modernization Project Calls for Extraordinary PM
The South Pole Station Modernization (SPSM) project replaces a facility originally built in the 1970s with a new elevated structure, much needed upgrades to the station's power and communications infrastructure, and includes the largest facility ever constructed on ice. Needless to say, the project would be complicated even if it weren't taking place on an ice sheet at the bottom of the world.

BSL-4 Lab Draws on Lessons from Government and Industry
The demand for expensive biocontainment space is expected to rise, but uncertainty over the specific programs it will house can make it hard to get top management's commitment to build. For this reason, flexibility in biosafety space is an especially precious commodity, and planners face tough decisions over which biosafety levels to target in making facilities decisions.

Federal Mandate Establishes New Rules for Securing Select Agents
A recent federal ruling, known as 42 CFR Part 73, is having a significant impact on universities and research facilities across the country. The mandate, effective as of February 2003, establishes strict new security standards for the possession and handling of hazardous biological agents that could be used in terrorist attacks.