Industry News

Texas Tech University dedicated the 1,600-sf Biological Threat Research Laboratory in Lubbock in January of 2014. The BSL-3 facility supports basic and applied research on biological pathogens and toxins. Construction began on the $2.4 million project in September of 2012 and reached completion in summer of 2013.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology completed construction in January of 2015 on China's first maximum containment biosafety laboratory. Located in the Hubei province, the facility will support research on Class 4 Pathogens (P4) including Ebola and smallpox. The lab was created in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Institut Merieux, a French biomedical firm. Construction began on the project in July of 2011.

The National University of Ireland Galway began construction in January of 2015 on the 88,000-sf Human Biology Building. Designed by Scott Talon Walker Architects, the five-story teaching and research facility will provide labs, lecture halls, and offices for the departments of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology. The Human Biology Building will also include a vivarium, a microscopy suite, and anatomy and mortuary space. The construction cost of the project is $34 million and the general contractor is BAM Group Ireland.

Texas A&M University has completed a $7 million renovation of Francis Hall in College Station. The historic three-story facility was built in 1918 and houses the Department of Construction Science. Designed by Brown Reynolds Watford Architects, the 32,500-sf renovation project created specialized laboratories including a BIM Cave for immersive visualization of building systems.

UF Health Shands Hospital broke ground on a $415 million expansion in January of 2015. The eight-story, 500,000-sf facility was designed by Flad Architects as two connecting towers providing 120 heart and vascular beds and 96 neuromedicine beds in private patient rooms. The project team includes Skanska USA and Affiliated Engineers, Inc. Completion is expected in 2018.