Mount Wachusett Community College dedicated the $41 million Asquino Science Center in November of 2016 in Gardner, Mass. The project included construction of a 44,000-gsf addition providing classrooms, teaching labs, prep rooms, faculty offices, and study spaces to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and a 2,300-sf greenhouse.
Flexible room configurations, durable finishes and equipment, and highly sensitive airflow control and monitoring can extend the sustainable life of animal facilities and vivaria, where the research and biosecurity needs can change repeatedly over the course of several years. Detailed upfront planning and mockups of proposed spaces contribute to the long-term success and flexibility of these facilities.
Johns Hopkins University will lease 115,000 sf in a new laboratory building under construction in Baltimore. The $59 million, 170,000-sf facility is being built by Forest City Enterprises in partnership with East Baltimore Development Inc. and will feature advanced LED lighting systems installed by GB Energie LED and Revolution Lighting Technologies. Construction began on the project in November of 2014 and completion is expected in July of 2016.
The 55,000-sf James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences at Eckerd College houses biology, chemistry, and biochemistry departments under one roof for the first time, with biology and chemistry offices interspersed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. The building contains nine 24-student teaching labs, two classrooms, four faculty-student research spaces, and 14 faculty offices.
Pharmaceutical products manufacturer Bath ASU is expanding their existing campus in the United Kingdom with the construction of a 21,500-sf production plant in Corsham. Designed by Pegasus, the project will triple available cleanroom space and is being built by John Yerbury Property Developments using Kingspan Micro-Rib insulated metal wall panels. Completion is expected by June of 2015.
Ramapo College is building the Adler Center for Nursing Excellence in Mahwah, N.J. Designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, the 36,000-sf facility will feature three simulation rooms, a nursing skills lab, an anatomy and physiology lab, classrooms, and computer labs. The project is part of a $54 million renovation of Ramapo College's science center and is being built by Cambridge Construction Management to attain LEED Silver sustainable design certification.
Ohio State University celebrated the opening of the $126 million Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC) in Columbus in April of 2015. The two-building, 235,000-sf project includes a four-story teaching and research building physically connected to a six-story office and research building. The LEED-certified complex features wet research labs with ancillary support, computational research suites, shared core labs, instructional spaces, and offices for faculty, graduate students, and administration.
The College of Lake County broke ground in March of 2015 on the $28.3 million Science and Engineering Building in Grayslake, Ill. The project includes construction of a three-story, 41,900-sf facility housing four laser and photonics labs, five chemistry labs, and an engineering lab. Additionally, 25,000 sf of existing space will be renovated to create labs for biology, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology.
Apple is planning to build a four-story, 269,000-sf research and development facility in Yokohama, Japan. Constructed on the site of a former Panasonic factory in Tsunashima-higashi, the sustainably designed project will feature highly efficient building systems, water recycling technologies, and a green roof. Construction is expected to commence by the end of 2015 with completion in 2016.
Ground was broken in March of 2015 on the $47 million Shriners Hospital for Children Medical Center in Lexington. The five-story, 110,000-sf facility is sited on the campus of the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare will lease the top two floors to provide clinical space for ophthalmology. Shriners’ pediatric orthopaedic services will be housed in 60,000 sf on the first three floors. The medical center will provide 20 patient exam rooms, a motion analysis lab, two surgical suites, and rehabilitation facilities.
George Washington University opened the $275 million Science and Engineering Hall in March of 2015 in Washington, D.C. Located on the Foggy Bottom campus, the 500,000-sf interdisciplinary facility provides classrooms, integrated core facilities, and collaborative research spaces. Designed by Ballinger, the facility houses laboratories for biomedical engineering, nanofabrication, molecular genetics, imaging, and environmental engineering. The three-story high bay lab will support structural testing for large-scale construction components.
San Diego Mesa College opened the $40.5 million Social and Behavioral Sciences Building in February of 2015. The three-story, 74,000-sf facility provides classrooms for programs in history, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and communication studies, as well as laboratory space. The project has attained LEED Silver sustainable design certification and features a passive ventilation system, lighting and temperature sensors, and low-flow water fixtures. The architect for the facility was Joseph Wong Design Associates.
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) will begin building the $155 million Global Centre for Scientific Excellence in spring of 2016. Located in Hull in the United Kingdom, the 140,000-sf project will provide R&D labs and testing suites for healthcare product development. An adjacent energy center utilizing sustainable technologies will also be constructed.
Near net-zero energy usage is achievable for laboratory buildings only by employing a holistic approach that examines how all the available energy-saving technologies work together before focusing on a few, high-impact concepts. These concepts not only reduce energy costs by 50 percent or more, but also can significantly reduce upfront costs. Employed piecemeal, however, they can backfire.
The research infrastructure department at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University’s showcase research center, employs a dedicated facilities service organization with considerable in-house expertise, and granular benchmarking tools that track utilities and facilities costs in multiple categories of lab space, from LEED-certified green building features to general wet labs to secure ABSL-3 labs with a select agent program. In a state-sponsored research environment, where operating costs can go as high as $170 per net sf, optimizing building efficiency is critical.
