Industry News

Utah State University opened two research facilities in Logan in September of 2009. The 11,000-sf Hydraulics Modeling Laboratory will enable engineers to build large-scale replicas of dams and spillways for channel hydraulics modeling projects. As a re-circulating facility, the laboratory can provide a flow of nearly 50,000 gallons per minute. The 5,000-sf Structural Testing Laboratory will enable researchers to test the load strength of construction materials for the Long-Term Bridge Performance Program, a national study on bridge safety.

Sharp Grossmont Hospital opened its $41 million critical care tower in September of 2009 in La Mesa, Calif. The five-story, 90-bed facility houses a 24-bed ICU, 33 critical care beds, isolation rooms, and an emergency department. Sharp Grossmont Hospital is also planning to construct an $107 million diagnosis and treatment center; occupancy is slated for June of 2013. A $50 million modernization of the hospital's energy plant and a $34 million renovation of the hospital's East Tower are both expected to reach completion in 2012.

Ohio State University Medical Center will begin construction in early 2010 on a 17-story tower in Columbus, Ohio. Housing the academic medical center's new critical care and cancer hospitals, the $1 billion project is slated for completion in mid-2014. The 276-bed Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital will occupy seven floors and and the 144-bed critical care hospital will occupy three floors. The tower will also house laboratory and office space. The project includes completion of three floors in the existing biomedical research tower and electrical upgrades.

The Marine Biological Laboratory broke ground in September of 2009 on a $25 million renovation of the Loeb Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. Designed by Tsoi/Kobus with Shawmut Design and Construction as general contractor, the project will support training and research for biomedical and environmental science. Completion is slated for spring of 2010.

Texas A&M University officially opened the $100 million Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building in College Station in September of 2009. Construction began on the 220,000-sf biomedical research facility in 2006. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which houses over 30 laboratories, a 285-seat auditorium, and core facilities including the Microscopy and Imaging Center, the X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory, and the Laboratory for Biological Mass Spectrometry.