The Department of Agriculture announced in June of 2009 that it will provide $176 million in funding for renovations, repairs, and maintenance at 36 laboratory facilities. The funding has been allocated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Jackson Laboratory broke ground on a $9 million mouse isolation facility in Bar Harbor, Maine, in August of 2009. The three-story project will provide 22,500-sf of laboratory space for the company’s reproductive services division. The facility will include suites for cryopreservation storage and mouse distribution The general contractor for the project is Consigli Construction of Portland, Maine. Completion is expected in November of 2010 with operations commencing in spring of 2011.
Elanco officially broke ground on its 130,000-sf headquarters in Greenfield, Ind., in July of 2009. Located on 20-acres in the Progress Park life sciences development, the facility will enable the global animal health company to consolidate operations with its existing R&D facilities in Greenfield. Elanco is a division of Eli Lilly and Co.
The University of Wyoming broke ground in June of 2009 on a $24.9 million BSL-3 laboratory in Laramie. Located at the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, the facility will support infectious disease research and testing. The laboratory will enable rapid diagnosis of disease agents affecting wildlife, herd animals, and humans. Completion is expected in 2011.
Construction of the 41,000-square-foot New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory at Tufts University is now complete.
The University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine opened the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in May of 2009. Housing advanced facilities to process, culture, and store equine stem cells, the laboratory will also provide stem cell collection kits to veterinarians for harvesting stem cells from blood or bone marrow.
Florida A&M University opened the $1.2 million Animal Healthcare Complex in Quincy on May 5, 2009. Located at the FAMU Research and Development Center, the teaching and research facility features an animal medicine clinic, a wet lab, a surgical suite with videoconferencing, and a computer lab. The center houses advanced veterinary diagnostic technologies and was designed by Johnson and Peterson of Tallahassee. The complex houses ruminant, cattle, swine, and equine species. Construction began on the facility in May of 2008.
Novus International’s $20 million global headquarters in St. Charles, Mo., attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification in late April of 2009. The 90,000-sf facility began construction in August of 2007 and was completed in January of 2009. Comprised of 48,000-sf of new construction and 42,000-sf of renovation, the project consolidates the Global Headquarters and International Research Center into a single facility housing 10 labs, offices, conference and meeting rooms, and a training center.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is building the $105 million Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Md. Housing BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 laboratories for select agent and infectious disease research, the IRF will provide 11,125-sf of secure research space for 30 investigators. The building will feature PET, CT, MRI, and X-ray scanners to study the effects of infectious diseases on primates. The construction manager for the project is Gilbane Building Company.
The University of Utah broke ground in April of 2009 on the $130 million James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building in Salt Lake City. Anchoring the University’s new Interdisciplinary Quadrangle, the 200,000-sf research facility will feature advanced imaging and nanotechnology laboratories and a 20,000-sf nanofabrication suite. Comprised of five stories, one below grade, the facility will house flexible open labs and four specialty core labs for small animal imaging, biomedical microscopy, engineering microscopy, and nanofabrication.
Pfizer dedicated its newly renovated laboratory and office facility in Kalamazoo, Mich., in April of 2009. The 780,000-sf project will serve as the global headquarters for Pfizer’s animal genetics and veterinary medicine R&D operations. Housing 680 employees, the $75 million project will consolidate staff from Richland Township, Pa., and Sandwich, U.K.
Montana State University is planning to construct three new facilities to house the Northern Agricultural Research Center in Havre, Mont. The $1.8 million project will begin construction in summer of 2009 with the first facility slated for completion in early 2010. The completed Northern Agricultural Research Center will house offices, laboratories, meeting rooms, a livestock research facility, a calving barn, and a chemical handling facility.
Tufts University dedicated the $33.7 million New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory on March 30, 2009. Sited on 5.4 acres in North Grafton, Mass., the 41,000-sf project provides 649-sf of BSL-2 space and 8,480-sf of BSL-3 space for zoonotic disease research. The secure facility was designed by Flad Architects and includes laboratories, a vivarium, an insectary, and support space. Construction began on the laboratory in September of 2007.
Covance celebrated the official opening of its $175 million animal research facility in Chandler, Ariz., in late March of 2009. The two-story, 288,000-sf pharmaceutical testing facility includes five laboratories, a vivarium, animal care space, and a 100-seat auditorium. Construction began on the project in June of 2007 and reached completion in May of 2008. The facility is sited on 77 acres and houses mice, rats, dogs, and monkeys. A second expansion phase is planned at the facility that could begin construction in 2011. Covance is based in Princeton, N.J.
The University of Adelaide broke ground on the $37 million Veterinary Science School in Roseworthy, South Australia, in March of 2009. Slated for completion in 2010, the 5,000-sm building will house teaching labs, a clinical skills lab, a pathology teaching and diagnostic suite, a distance learning suite, and a veterinary teaching hospital.
