New York State Department of Health Begins Construction on Wadsworth Center Laboratory

The New York State Department of Health has begun construction on the new Wadsworth Center, a $1.7 billion public health laboratory that will transform the state's ability to detect, prevent, and respond to emerging threats. Designed by HOK, the state-of-the-art facility will consolidate five legacy sites across the Greater Albany area into a single, modern campus. The five-story, 663,000-gsf project is strategically located on the W. Averell Harriman Campus to enhance collaboration with the University at Albany (SUNY), the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Food Laboratory, and partners across the country.

Delivered by a joint venture of Gilbane and Turner Construction, the fully electric structure will support the next generation of scientists for decades to come. The flexible and resilient development is intended to adapt to evolving needs over its lifetime, with a strong emphasis on energy, efficiency, and sustainability. Featuring robust sequencing capabilities, the leading-edge facility will further the institution’s ability to serve as a national reference center for a wide range of infectious diseases, environmental hazards, and toxicological threats. Open laboratories equipped with next-generation instrumentation will be accompanied by a full-height atrium with an interactive communicating staircase. 

The Wadsworth Center has grown over 125 years into the largest and most diverse state public health laboratory in the United States and stands today at the forefront of innovation. The new complex will carry this proud legacy forward to impact public health policy and practice at the state, national, and international level. Full operations are expected to commence by 2030.