Biomedical

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.

The National University of Ireland’s Galway Biosciences Research Building provides high-technology space that includes cancer, regenerative medicine, and chemical biology research laboratories; a 123,680-sf vivarium with rodents and rabbits, half of which is specific-pathogen-free; imaging facilities; a 120-seat lecture hall; and café. Core facilities include an NMR suite, confocal microscopy, photon microscopy, flow cytometry, and a media prep lab.

Northwestern University broke ground on the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center in Chicago in May of 2015. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 14-story, 600,000-sf facility will support collaborative research on cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and genetics for the Feinberg School of Medicine. The Biomedical Research Center will house nine laboratory floors of approximately 45,000 sf each with integrated offices for principal investigators.

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.

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 University of Washington is building the $123.5 million Animal Research and Care Facility in Seattle. Housing the Department of Comparative Medicine, the 83,000-sf subterranean structure will accommodate rodents, pigs, dogs, and non-human primates. Comprising two floors of approximately 40,000 sf each, the facility will provide labs, procedure rooms, imaging suites, cage and equipment wash, storage, and support. Construction began in early 2015 and occupancy is expected in August of 2017.

Minerals research firm Mintek opened a cleanroom and biocontainment laboratory in April of 2015 in Johannesburg. Supported by $2.4 million in funding from South Africa's Department of Science and Technology, the project includes an ISO 5 cleanroom and a BSL-3 suite to accommodate the development of advanced diagnostic technologies for diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. The facilities feature sophisticated controls for the regulation of temperature, pressure, moisture, and airborne particles.

University College London has awarded Graham Construction a $25 million contract to renovate the existing Courtauld Building to create a biomedical research facility. The project will house the Medical Research Council's Prion Unit and will accommodate the study of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) have completed a study of a therapeutic candidate for the Marburg virus in a BSL-4 research facility in Fort Belvoir, Va. The study was conducted entirely under Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) conditions, setting a precedent for GLP testing of medical products for BSL-4 pathogens. This may facilitate rapid evaluation and licensing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Great Ormond Street Hospital will begin construction in October of 2015 on a $100 million pediatric research facility in London. The seven-story, 140,000-sf Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children will provide integrated clinical and research facilities to support the development of new therapies and medical devices. The project is designed by Stanton Williams Architects to optimize interaction and collaboration and is slated for occupancy in 2018.

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.

Nasa Ames Research Center is planning to construct a life biosciences laboratory in Moffett Field, Calif. The two-story, 40,000-sf facility will provide 19,000 sf of BSL-2 wet labs and support and 21,000 sf of office and conference space. With a project cost of up to $60 million, the fumehood-rich building will include procedure rooms, a radiation lab, environmental rooms, and a tissue culture suite. LEED Silver or Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the laboratory.

The 89,700-sf, seven-story expansion of the Wistar Institute increases research space from 30 to 45 labs, with new support areas, including tissue culture rooms, fume hood alcoves, equipment alcoves, and a shared cold room. Each of the five lab floors contains an open-plan research lab for four professors and their research teams of 35 to 40 to work collaboratively on cancer research, genetics, and vaccine development. Flexible, moveable lab benches will accommodate changing research needs.

Inova Health is acquiring a 117-acre campus in Merrifield, Va., as the site for a new biomedical research complex called the Center for Personalized Health. The first phase of construction will create the Inova Translational Medicine Institute and the Inova Comprehensive Cancer and Research Institute. The $200 million, 180,000-sf project is slated for occupancy by early 2018. Existing facilities on the campus will be renovated to provide advanced laboratory space for collaborative genomics research.