Government

Pacific Northwest National Lab is planning to build a $90 million energy sciences research building in Richland, Wash. Designed by Kirksey Architecture, the collaborative facility will provide between 110,000 and 145,000 sf of flexible lab and office space to support fundamental research in chemistry, materials science, and computing. Accommodating advanced instrumentation including next-generation NMR and electron microscopy devices, the project will enable the development of new energy and transportation technologies.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is planning to build the Translational Research Capability project in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Located on ORNL’s main campus, the three-story laboratory and office building will provide between 80,000 and 115,000 gsf of space to support growing research programs in materials science and computing. A request for qualifications will be released in April of 2019 for the design-build project, which has an estimated construction cost of $58 million. Work will begin on the facility in early 2020 with completion expected by December of 2022. 

National Research Council Canada opened the Manufacturing and Automotive Innovation Hub in December of 2018 in London, Ontario. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects to promote collaboration and interaction, the flexible facility provides four laboratories, a high crane bay, and two vehicle bays to support the optimization of manufacturing supply chain operations and the development of innovative products and technologies. A 9,200-sf open office environment with abundant natural light is located on the second floor of the 16,740-sf facility.

NASA Glenn Research Center will begin construction in fall of 2018 on the Research Support Building in Cleveland. Walsh Construction Company has been awarded a $32.7 million contract to build the two-story, 64,000-sf facility, which will provide collaborative engineering suites, open and private offices, conference rooms, training areas, and dining amenities for approximately 164 employees.

Radiance Technologies broke ground in July of 2018 on its new corporate headquarters in Huntsville, Ala. Located in Cummings Research Park West, the 100,000-sf facility will support the growth of business partnerships with the Department of Defense, NASA, and national intelligence organizations. Designed by Fuqua and Partners, the project will provide secure high bay space, a variety of classified and unclassified labs, and a 200-seat conference center. Completion is expected in late summer of 2019.

The Georgia Cyber Center opened the Hull McKnight Building in July of 2018. Located on the campus of Augusta University, the facility accommodates a cyber range, a 340-seat auditorium, offices for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Cyber Crime Unit, multi-institutional classrooms and computer labs, a business incubator, and demonstration space to showcase current research. A second structure, the Shaffer MacCartney Building, is slated for completion in December of 2018, creating a 332,000-sf complex that represents a total investment of $100 million.

Harvard University's Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) has created the Healthy Buildings Program to study the effects of the built environment on health, productivity, and wellbeing. The nine foundations of a healthy building can optimize occupant health, preferably in a smoke-free environment with active design to promote movement.

The University at Albany broke ground in April of 2018 on the $180 million Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Complex (ETEC) in Albany, N.Y. Designed by CannonDesign to foster collaboration with industry partners, the 245,000-sf facility will house UAlbany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity; the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences; the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center; and the New York State Mesonet, the nation’s most advanced weather-detection system.

Idaho National Laboratory and the Idaho State Board of Education broke ground in April of 2018 on two new research facilities in Idaho Falls. The 80,000-sf Cybercore Integration Center will provide advanced electronics labs where industry, government, and academic partners can engage in collaborative cybersecurity research. The 67,000-sf Collaborative Computing Center (C3) will feature a supercomputer for advanced simulation and modeling operations. The estimated construction cost of both facilities is $75 million.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will invest $80 million to construct a new Centre for Plant Health in Sidney, British Columbia. Replacing the existing 48-building campus, the project will provide advanced quarantine, testing, and diagnostic facilities for the detection and study of plant pathogens. Supporting innovative plant science research programs, the center will enhance the security and economic vitality of Canada's agricultural industry.

AgResearch, one of New Zealand's leading Crown Research Institutes, is partnering with Massey University to build the NZD$45 million Food Science Facility. Located on Massey's Manawatū campus, the three-story, 54,000-sf project will provide labs and shared spaces to support teaching and research programs in meat and dairy production.

The Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center began construction in December of 2017 on a 165,000-sf technology incubator and workforce development facility in Augusta. Slated for completion in late 2018, the five-story project is supported by $35 million in state funding and represents the center's second phase of construction. A $60 million, 167,000-sf cybersecurity research facility is currently under construction at the site and completion is expected in July of 2018.

The Department of Energy is planning research infrastructure upgrades to multiple user facilities. The U.S. House of Representatives passed three bills in November of 2017 to provide funding for these projects. 

The Research Infrastructure Act directs and authorizes the Secretary of Energy to:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture broke ground in November of 2017 on a $160 million renovation and expansion of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL) in Athens, Ga. The secure facility will provide biocontainment laboratories to support the detection, diagnosis, and prevention of diseases such as pathogenic avian influenza. Completion is expected by 2020. Merrick & Company developed the Program of Requirements (POR) for the project, which could add approximately 100,000 sf to the 60-year-old campus.

NASA awarded AECOM a contract in September of 2017 to provide support services for Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. The scope of the contract, which has a maximum value of $58.3 million and a one-year base period with four one-year options, includes facility master planning, facility engineering design, energy and water conservation program management, and property utilization oversight.