Research and Development

Lightweight metals manufacturer Alcoa is investing $60 million to expand its research and development campus. Located near Pittsburgh at the Alcoa Technical Center in New Kensington, Pa., the project includes construction of a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing center. Supporting the implementation of Alcoa’s Ampliforge™ process, a technique combining additive and traditional manufacturing to enhance the properties of materials, the center will accommodate the production of proprietary metal powders engineered specifically for 3D printing.

The University of Central Florida is planning to build the $30 million Interdisciplinary Research and Incubator facility in Orlando. The first phase of construction will create a three-story, 67,000-sf building providing 31 research and incubator suites, many of which will include wet lab space. The multidisciplinary facility will house offices, lecture halls, and conference rooms, and will be used by researchers from the University as well as offering leased space for industry partners. Construction will begin in January of 2016 with completion expected by summer of 2017.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory opened the $59 million Chu Hall in September of 2015. Designed by SmithGroupJJR of San Francisco, the three-story, 39,000-sf facility will support research on electrochemical and photovoltaic solar energy technologies. Chu Hall houses the administrative offices of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute as well as the northern branch of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a laboratory created in partnership with the California Institute of Technology and funded by the Department of Energy.

Carthage College opened the renovated and expanded Center for the Natural and Social Sciences in September of 2015 in Kenosha, Wis. Designed by Stantec, the $43 million project included construction of a 35,000-sf wing and renovation of the existing 70,000-sf facility. The interdisciplinary center features TEAL (Technology Enhanced Active Learning) classrooms and 12 teaching labs for programs in materials science, nanotechnology, engineering design, molecular biology, and atomic microscopy.

Scripps Research Institute is planning to construct a new 147,000-sf laboratory complex in La Jolla, Calif. Supporting the consolidation of research space to promote interaction and collaboration, the project will provide a 12,000-sf NMR suite and advanced laboratories for the study of immunology, structural biology, neuroscience, and global health. Occupancy is expected in 2019.

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 University of Idaho is building the $49 million Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) on its Moscow campus. Designed by NBBJ, the 69,000-sf interdisciplinary research facility will provide flexible laboratory, office, and meeting space that can be adapted for use by faculty, staff, and student researchers from across the university. The building will feature a state-of-the-art visualization laboratory, core research space, and video conferencing suites.

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.

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is partnering with the University of Connecticut to create the $7.7 million Single Cell Genomics Center in Farmington. The facility will be located in JAX’s Genomic Medicine facility on the UConn Health campus. JAX is also planning to develop the Center for Precision Genetics at the site, supported by a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Western Kentucky University will begin construction in December of 2015 on a new science building on its Bowling Green campus. Housing the College of Science and Engineering, the four-story, 77,000-sf Ogden Hall will provide classrooms, teaching labs, faculty offices, and student lounges. The project is being designed by Ross Tarrant Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant. A contractor will be selected in fall of 2015 with occupancy expected in fall of 2017.

Specialized biomedical core facilities accelerate scientific research and make the most of funding resources, but it takes considerable expertise in both technology and business to attain these results. To ensure the centralized model provides the most productive and cost-effective support to researchers, University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto has assembled a toolkit of proven strategies and operating principles. The foremost requirements are a robust knowledge base in science and technology and a strong business orientation. 

AMS AG (formerly Austriamicrosystem) will begin construction in spring of 2016 on a 360,000-sf wafer fab in Marcy, N.Y. Located on the 428-acre Nano Utica site, the project will support the production of analog devices on 200mm to 300mm wafers. Constructed by Fort Schuyler Management, the development will include office buildings and support space for a total buildout of approximately 600,000 sf. Production is expected to begin in late 2017.

Grand Valley State University dedicated the $55 million P. Douglas Kindschi Hall of Science in August of 2015 in Allendale, Mich. The four-story, 152,000-sf facility provides 15 teaching labs, 14 research labs, nine classrooms, conference rooms, study areas, a computational lab, and a 3,000-sf greenhouse. Research Facilities Design was the laboratory design consultant for the facility, which features interactive labs supporting a shared functionality in which faculty and students can engage in collaborative projects.

Biopharmaceutical firm Baxalta is developing a 200,000-sf research and development center in Cambridge, Mass. Located at Kendall Square, the leased facility will support the commercialization of preclinical discoveries made in partnership with academic institutions and independent biotech firms. The project is expected to house approximately 500 employees upon completion in late 2015. Baxalta is a subsidiary of Baxter International, based in Deerfield, Ill.

The Department of Energy opened the $10 million Systems Engineering Building in August of 2015. Located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., the 22,000-sf facility provides labs, computational space, and offices to support research on power grid dynamics and renewable energy technologies. The project, which has been awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification, houses the Building Operations Control Center and the Power Electronics Laboratory.