Exyte is partnering with Univercells Technologies to create modular biomanufacturing facilities to meet the increased global demand for vaccines during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Exyte’s prefabricated construction system, ExyCell, is paired with Univercells’ NevoLine biomanufacturing platform which features the scale-X™ fixed-bed bioreactor at its core.
Tecniplast is offering a webinar on the use of the DVC® System to optimize animal modelling in mouse vivaria. “Improving Animal Modelling with 24/7 Home Cage Monitoring in Bio-exclusion/Biocontainment Mouse Housing Systems” will detail how the DVC® technology applied to the ISO caging system can deliver improved data replicability, animal welfare, and research results.
The Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VIMC) is being constructed on an accelerated schedule in Oxford in the United Kingdom. Ground was broken on the £66 million project in April of 2020 and occupancy is expected in 2021, a year earlier than previously planned.
Leading global infrastructure firm AECOM has set ambitious targets for reducing emissions to combat climate change. These targets were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in April of 2020. At the time of approval, AECOM was the first and only US-based company in the engineering and construction sector to have set approved targets.
Ohio University is constructing the $65 million Heritage Hall in Athens. Designed by Perkins+Will and DesignGroup, the three-story, 120,000-sf building will provide the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (HCOM) with flexible environments for team-based learning to support the school's groundbreaking Pathways to Health and Wellness curriculum.
Price Industries is significantly increasing production of its air filtration systems in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Instantly creating a negative-pressure isolation room, the company's fan filter unit can draw airborne virus out through a biosafety filter for expulsion through the building's exhaust vent or directly to the outside. The units can dramatically reduce airborne virus in healthcare environments such as nursing stations and temporary hospitals, and can even be used in hotel rooms that have been repurposed as care facilities.
The Center for Sustainable Landscapes at Phipps Conservatory has attained BREEAM Outstanding certification. The 24,350-sf research, education, and administration facility is the first project in the United States to be awarded the rating, and is the first in the world to meet four other sustainability standards, including The Living Building Challenge, WELL Building Platinum, SITES Platinum, and LEED Platinum.
The Texas A&M University System is creating a $546 million complex at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. A renovated 18-story structure will accommodate the groundbreaking Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program when it opens in summer of 2020. Two new towers will be developed through a public-private partnership (P3). Slated for completion in June of 2022, a 365,000-sf residential facility will offer 572 units providing 704 beds for medical and nursing students, and a 1.2 million-sf parking garage will accommodate 3,444 cars.
Beloit College dedicated the Powerhouse in February of 2020 in Beloit, Wis. Designed by Studio Gang, the $38 million project included the redevelopment of a decommissioned power plant to create a unique campus hub housing a recreation center, a student union, and an athletics facility. The 120,000-sf riverside complex offers a 160-seat auditorium, meeting and seminar rooms, informal gathering spaces, a swimming pool, a 10,000-sf fitness center, a 17,000-sf recreational gym, a 200-person event space, an elevated indoor track, and a café.
Eli Lilly and Company opened the 11,500-sf Lilly Life Sciences Studio in San Diego in January of 2020. Part of a $90 million investment to expand the company's research footprint, the laboratory leverages a robotic cloud platform created by Strateos to enable other drug discovery companies and investigators to access the remote-controlled facility.
Georgia Institute of Technology dedicated the $30 million Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design in October of 2019 in Atlanta. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent & The Miller Hull Partnership, the 47,000-sf facility provides two 64-person classrooms, a maker space, four class labs, a conference room, offices, and a 176-person auditorium.
Katerra is constructing the $40 million Catalyst Building in Spokane, Wash. The five-story, 150,000-sf facility will accommodate leased space for Eastern Washington University's programs in computer science, electrical engineering, and visual communication design. Comprising two wings connected by a light-filled atrium, the collaborative $40 million building will provide dry labs, offices, classrooms, and study spaces.
HITT Contracting opened the Co|Lab smart building research hub in June of 2019 in Falls Church, Va. Designed by William McDonough + Partners, Co|Lab is a collaborative facility for the study and testing of emerging materials, approaches, and technologies for the construction industry. The 8,600-sf project, which has attained LEED v4 Platinum certification, incorporates a Glu-lam and Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) structure, as well as a roof canopy solar array that is designed to provide 118 percent of anticipated energy use.
The Rockefeller University dedicated the $500 million Stavros Niarchos Foundation–David Rockefeller River Campus in May of 2019 in New York. The 160,000-sf complex features the $300 million, 135,600-sf Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Research Building which provides flexible labs, two amphitheaters, offices, conference rooms, a dining area, and outdoor terraces. The two-story, horizontally oriented structure was designed to enhance collaboration and can support over 600 scientific staff.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office announced up to $33.5 million in funding in May of 2019 for early-stage research and development of advanced building construction techniques to reduce energy costs. The Advanced Building Construction with Energy-Efficient Technologies & Practices (ABC) initiative aims to develop deep energy retrofit and new construction technologies that holistically tackle a combination of envelope, heating, cooling, water heating, and ventilation issues.
