Industry News

Montclair State University is planning to build the $55 million Center for Environmental and Life Sciences in Montclair, N.J. The 107,500-gsf facility will provide seven interdisciplinary group research suites, six core labs, five office areas, classrooms, seminar rooms, a microscopy suite, and a 150-seat lecture hall. Supporting programs including pharmaceutical biochemistry, sustainability science, and medicinal chemistry, the center will also provide teaching and research space for biology, computing, and mathematics.

St. Norbert College broke ground on the $39.2 million Gehl-Mulva Science Center in May of 2013 in De Pere, Wis. Created in partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin, the 150,000-sf facility will provide 36 teaching and research labs, classrooms, informal collaboration spaces, small-group workrooms, and a greenhouse. The project includes renovation of the existing Minahan Science Hall and construction of a 57,800-sf addition.

As the firm marks its 15th anniversary, Donald Blair Architects is pleased to announce the formation of Blair + Mui Dowd Architects, PC. Helen Mui and Brian Dowd have worked with Donald Blair for over 10 years and will join him as principals of the new company, which specializes in clinical, research and community facility architecture.

Washington State University will break ground in August of 2013 on the $23 million Wine Science Center on the Tri-Cities campus in Richland. Designed by ALSC Architects of Spokane, the 39,300-sf research and teaching facility will provide laboratories, conference rooms, a wine library, and a winery that will function as a living laboratory for viticulture science. The general contractor for the design-build project is Lydig Construction. Completion is expected in July of 2014.

The State of Vermont broke ground on a $39 million laboratory for the Department of Health in late April of 2013. Located in Colchester, the 47,844-sf building will be connected to the University of Vermont's existing biochemistry research facility to foster collaboration with investigators in the College of Medicine. The lab will house research programs on zoonotic disease agents and will support the identification of pathogens using molecular methods. The cost of construction is $30 million. Completion is expected by fall of 2014.