Biocontainment

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has selected Merrick & Company to develop the Program of Requirements (POR) for the renovation of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL) in Athens, Ga. The $158 million modernization project includes new construction and renovation of existing facilities on an active, 60-year-old campus that encompasses biosafety laboratories, brooding and breeding facilities, administrative offices, and support space.

The Army Institute of Public Health has awarded a $206 million contract to a joint venture of The Walsh Group and Gilbane Building Company for the Public Health Command (PHC) laboratory replacement project. Located on 20 acres at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, the 275,000-sf biomedical research facility will include wet labs, field labs, offices, anechoic chambers, laser labs, a vivarium, an insectary, and a 43,000-gsf central utility plant.

Texas A&M University opened an 11,000-sf avian health complex for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in August of 2015. Located in College Station, the climate-controlled aviary facility provides a BSL-2 biocontainment lab, a bird hospital, quarantine suites, three isolation rooms, classrooms, and offices.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) is constructing a 950,000-sf replacement facility at Fort Detrick, Md. The $800 million project will provide BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 laboratory space to support advanced biomedical research. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on the project in August of 2009 and completion is expected in 2017.

Colorado State University is planning to build the $47 million Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Family Equine Hospital in Fort Collins. The 180,000-sf project will provide advanced diagnostic and surgical services, and house eight biosecure isolation stalls for the treatment of horses with infectious diseases. Supporting 27 equine clinicians, the hospital will feature imaging technologies, including a high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scanner. A 3 Tesla MRI will be installed in a new CSU research building adjacent to the facility.

The University of Queensland opened the $100 million Oral Health Centre in Brisbane in July of 2015. Located next to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Herston, the seven-story, 48,400-sf facility provides dental clinics, lecture and seminar rooms, simulation training labs, two surgical suites, biomedical research space, and a Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) biosafety lab. The project features demonstration chairs equipped with integrated recording and streaming technologies for the documentation of procedures.

The Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University opened the McKinnell Knowledge Centre in June of 2015 in Kampala, Uganda. Located at the College of Health Sciences, the $3.3 million disease detection and surveillance facility will include space for research, training, and outreach. The project will act as a strategic data management hub to support regional healthcare initiatives. The center features distance learning capabilities to provide medical training courses created by Stanford University and other institutions.

The strategic use of specialized doors and biocontainment cubicles in Weill Cornell Medical College’s new academic research facility maximizes flexibility by allowing the floor plan to be easily reconfigured for different levels of containment and program size.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security broke ground in May of 2015 on the $835 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kan. Created in partnership with Kansas State University, the 574,000-gsf facility will provide shared BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 research space for the study of infectious diseases and select agents. The project is being built by the joint venture construction team of McCarthy/Mortenson.

Iowa State University's transgenic swine facility at Zumwalt Station Farm in Ames received an Award of Distinction from the Modular Building Institute in May of 2015. The 2,904-sf project was designed, manufactured, and installed by Art's Way Scientific. Supporting research on the genetic modification of domestic animals for agricultural and biomedical applications, the standalone facility incorporates biosafety features to protect a closed herd of swine.

The National University of Singapore opened a 7,000-sf biosafety laboratory for the study of infectious diseases in May of 2015. The BSL-3 facility is located at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine's Centre for Translational Medicine and will support the development of new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapies.

The University of Washington’s new multi-species vivarium and animal program consolidation overcomes the challenges of combining two distinct research facilities and achieves goals of flexibility, efficient operating procedures, improved animal and personnel welfare, and a sustainable financial model—thanks to the early involvement of all affected parties, detailed team-based planning, and mockups.

The University of Delaware celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Lasher Laboratory in April of 2015. The BSL-2 facility is located in the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown and supports research on the detection and diagnosis of avian diseases including avian influenza. Supported by $4 million in state funding, the project was completed in December of 2014 and included new MEP, fire, and life safety systems as well as significant improvements to the building envelope.

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is planning to renovate a 67,000-sf animal research facility in Silver Spring, Md. Constructed in 1972 to provide biomedical laboratories and vivarium space for large and small animals, Building 511 will be extensively upgraded with new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and building automation systems. New wall, floor, and ceiling finishes will be installed as well as vibration mitigation technologies for specialized research equipment.

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is planning a $75 million mouse production facility in Ellsworth, Maine. The project involves the complete renovation of an existing 143,000-sf building to create advanced vivarium space for the breeding and housing of mice for genetic research. The facility will consolidate all of JAX’s East Coast production operations in a single location, enabling the company’s Bar Harbor campus to provide additional research, education, and conference space.