Trends Show Narrow Window Could Close in 2010
Accurately predicting how much it will cost to renovate or build top-notch research facilities amid today's volatile economic conditions requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors that impact the global marketplace. Reviewing trends that have occurred in recent years makes it easier to anticipate construction cost changes that might occur in the future.

St. Joseph Hospital
The new Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif., consolidates outpatient cancer services into a single location and is located within walking distance of the main hospital facility. The Center is comprised of three new design/build projects: a $65-million, 87,000-sf cancer center; a $34.5-million, 131,000-sf medical office building (MOB); and a six-and-one-half level, 1,083-car parking structure.

Performance Standards, Governance System Assure Continued Utilization Monitoring and Enforcement
Since opening in September 2004, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) has facilitated research in a cross section of fields including biocatalysis, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics, integrated systems biology, and microsystems. The 218,000-sf facility on RPI's campus in Troy, N.Y., houses all the faculty and researchers related to a particular program in one building, including their offices. There are no department offices, classrooms, or other academic space in the building.

Implementing Lean Fundamentals Presents Adaptive Challenges and Cognitive Impairments, but Big Payoffs
Lean principles, originally popularized by Japanese automakers like Toyota, are also transforming the traditionally cumbersome method for planning, building, and operating large capital construction projects. Traditional efforts to streamline facility projects in order to realize cost savings often fail because the industry-established planning processes and contracting structures are rife with inefficiencies and waste. A Lean approach to facility design and construction can result in considerable cost-savings by eliminating unnecessary steps and aligning owner expectations with final outcome.

Multiple Master Plans for Regional Health Center Integration
Texas Tech University's Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso passes a significant milestone this summer when the charter class of students arrives. To assure an integrated approach going forward, Texas Tech launched a multiple master planning study that coordinates and integrates future growth with two of its partner organizations in the region — Thomason Hospital and the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation — who are also making plans for the future in areas adjacent to the new school's campus.

'Soft' Features Promote Collaboration and Make Science More Visible
Colleges and universities intent on promoting student interest in the sciences realize what a large role facilities can play. They have also found that it may take more than acclaimed or rigorous programs housed in state-of-the-art buildings to get attention on campus. At least part of the answer lies in the "soft" side of facilities—comfortable spaces that accommodate different stages of interdisciplinary collaboration, inviting features that open up the building's inner workings to the broader population. Nothing says "welcome" more than an expansive, ground-floor view into a prototype robotic operating room.