Using a verification planning process to meet current regulations—for directional airflow, atmospheric pressure reference, containment barriers, and other common compliance measures—with solutions based on risk analysis and standard operating procedures (SOPs), takes a project through planning and design to fully licensed and operational, and helps minimize spending on solutions to a level that is risk-appropriate.
The Vermont Department of Health opened the $31 million Public Health Lab in October of 2014 in Colchester. Created in partnership with the University of Vermont College of Medicine, the 47,844-sf building is physically connected to the UVM Colchester Research Facility to support interactive research on infectious diseases. The project replaces the Department of Health's existing Burlington campus and features a biocontainment suite with five BSL-3 laboratories. Ground was broken on the facility in April of 2013.
The Pirbright Institute for Animal Health has awarded Shepherd Construction a $117 million contract to construct the Biological Resources Facility in the United Kingdom. The four-story, 80,000-sf project will support in-vivo testing for viruses including avian influenza. Completion is expected in 2018. Shepherd finished construction in August of 2014 on the first phase of redevelopment at the Pirbright campus, a $162 million, 119,100-sf biocontainment complex providing CL4 laboratories for animal disease testing and research.
Colorado State University opened the renovated Animal Sciences Building in September of 2014. The $19.5 million project created technology-rich classrooms and teaching labs in the 42,000-sf facility. The Animal Sciences Building includes BSL-2 research areas, labs for anatomy and physiology, and instructional space for microbiology and food safety. New mechanical, electrical, and telecommunications systems were installed. Construction began on the LEED-certified project in June of 2012 with completion in August of 2014.
Central Michigan University began construction in September of 2014 on the $95 million Biosciences Building in Mount Pleasant. Designed by Stantec, the four-story, 169,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, research labs, a BSL-3 suite, lecture halls, classrooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, an herbarium, an imaging center, and an aquatic research vivarium. Occupancy is expected in January of 2017. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is is being built by Clark Construction.
Murray State University broke ground on the new Breathitt Veterinary Center in September of 2014. Located in Hopkinsville, Ky., the $32.4 million facility will provide laboratories for pathology, virology, toxicology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, histology, serology, and molecular diagnostics. Replacing the state’s existing animal disease diagnostic lab, the 53,000-sf project will include a BSL-3 suite as well as technology-rich classrooms and collaborative research space.
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) completed construction of the Micro Nano Research Facility in August of 2014. Located on the University City campus in Melbourne, the collaborative 13,000-sf facility provides Class 100 and Class 1,000 cleanrooms, a PCL-2 biocontainment lab, a sensor technology lab, offices, training suites, and conference rooms. The multidisciplinary project was designed by SKM Jacobs and built by Brookfield Multiplex.
WIRB-Copernicus Group (WCG), a global provider of regulatory and ethical review services for clinical research, acquired Alliance Biosciences in July of 2014. With this addition, WCG Biosafety will be able to manage the entire continuum of biocontainment oversight, helping to ensure that research involving potentially hazardous agents and vectors complies with the appropriate regulatory requirements from laboratory design and drug discovery through clinical testing and therapeutic application.
The Pirbright Institute broke ground in July of 2014 on the $26 million Avian Diseases Lab in the United Kingdom. The 38,000-sf facility will provide CL-2 biocontainment space for in vitro research on infectious diseases affecting poultry and other livestock. Housing up to 90 scientists, the project will support the relocation of the Avian Viral Diseases program from Compton to Pirbright.
The National Centre for Biosecurity and Infectious Disease (NCBID) will begin construction in early 2015 on a $65 million biocontainment facility in Wallaceville, New Zealand. Designed by Merrick, the project will support advanced diagnostic testing for new and emerging infectious diseases, including zoonotic diseases that can impact human health. The facility will replace the existing animal health laboratory at the site and will meet international biosecurity standards.
Tufts University received permission from the Boston Public Health Commission in June of 2014 to begin operating the Arnold 8 Biosafety Laboratory. Supporting tuberculosis research, the BSL-3 facility is located in the Tufts School of Medicine’s Biomedical Research and Public Health Building. Development of the 1,700-sf lab began in spring of 2012 with construction commencing in February of 2013. The project architect was Shawmut Design & Construction.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency opened a BSL-3 biocontainment laboratory in May of 2013 in Trinidad & Tobago. Located in Port of Spain, the $2.5 million facility will support rapid sample processing for the detection of biological agents and infectious diseases. The lab was manufactured by GERMFREE, donated by the Government of Canada, and provided in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization.
The Pirbright Institute has awarded John Sisk & Son a $28.6 million contract to build a research facility for the study of livestock diseases. The two-story, 43,000-sf project is referred to as the CL2 Laboratory and will accommodate 90 scientists. BREAAM Excellent sustainable design certification will be sought for the biocontainment level two facility. The lab is part of a planned $168 million expansion of the Pirbright campus that will include a $118 million facility supporting avian disease research.
Southern Research Institute, in collaboration with Galveston National Laboratory, announced in April of 2014 that they have developed a semi-automated high-throughput screening (HTS) platform that is capable of testing 10,000 compounds per day within BSL-4 biocontainment conditions. The methodology was developed studying the Nipah virus and may contribute to the successful identification of compounds with antiviral activity.
TNO Triskelion opened a BSL-3 vaccine testing laboratory in March of 2014 in Zeist. The facility will enable the contract research organization to develop drugs to combat viruses including avian influenza, SARS, and tuberculosis. The biocontainment lab conforms to GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) standards and is able to test treatments against all subtypes of influenza, whether avian or human.
