Project Constrained by Space, Budget, and Time
To renovate a low-level radioactive lab into an ABSL-3 lab, you need a substantial budget; a large space; and plenty of time to plan, hire contractors, and order equipment. Midwest Research Institute (MRI), based in Kansas City, Mo., had the benefit of none of those conditions when it decided to expand into the field of vaccine research in early 2002. The organization found itself with only 800 sf, $400,000, and three months to complete the project.

Flexible Work Space Fosters Multidisciplinary Research
The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas was founded upon a bench-to-bedside patient care and academic research culture that continues to fuel campus construction projects. Planners are careful to ensure that new buildings integrate hospital, clinic, and research laboratories within contiguous and sometimes mixed-use floorplates.

When Replacing, Make Sure to Look Before Leaping
Decision time. More laboratory space is needed. A building is available. Can the building be converted or upgraded to provide the infrastructure and types of space needed for the modern laboratory? What are the cost and schedule implications of renovating compared to building new space? Many renovation projects have reclaimed and generated very useful laboratory space and each began with an assessment and project definition that lead to the ultimate success of the project. This report provides an overview of the decision making process and demonstrates through case studies the success of well-planned and managed projects.

Public Health Sciences Building Designed to be Environmentally Friendly
Planners at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have spent the past 15 years designing buildings that not only serve the Center's 2,800-member biomedical research community, but also have gained national recognition for their environmentally responsible construction and operation.

Vanderbilt University
As a joint project between the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences, the Medical Research Building III (MRB III) represents a new collaboration between medical sciences and biology. The 360,000-gsf facility is designed to promote study between diverse scientific disciplines. At a total project cost of $95 million ($78 million construction), MRB III houses undergraduate biology teaching laboratories, and both university and medical center faculty engaged in research on the brain and in developmental and structural biology.