Research and Development

The University at Buffalo will break ground in September of 2013 on the $375 million School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Designed by HOK to foster interaction and collaboration, the seven-story, 500,000-sf project will be integrated with UB's academic medical center to promote a synthesis of instruction, research, and treatment. The facility comprises two L-shaped structures linked to create a six-story glass atrium. The ground floor includes a transit hub.

Idaho National Lab dedicated its Energy Systems Laboratory in April of 2013 in Idaho Falls. Constructed by Ormond Builders, the 91,000-sf facility provides research, teaching, and demonstration facilities for the study of bioenergy technologies, hybrid vehicles, batteries, and biomass design and analysis. The building houses three reconfigurable high bay research areas, a biomass characterization lab, a computer-assisted virtual environment, and offices. Ground was broken on the project in February of 2011.

Creating an "agile workplace"—by determining the overall business goals of an organization, making an in-depth appraisal of how employees work, and creating an efficient, cost-effective workspace that satisfies various work requirements—can save money in the long run by providing a satisfying workplace designed around employee's work activities.

The European Spallation Source, a planned neutron research facility in Lund, Sweden, will be designed by the team of Henning Larsen Architects, COBE, and SLA. The 1 million-sf complex will provide laboratories for materials science, advanced instrumentation suites, offices, a lecture hall, a 2,000-ft proton accelerator, and a 600-ft target hall. Other project team members include Transsolar, NNE Pharmaplan, and Buro Happold.

The Jackson Laboratory is building a four-story, 189,000-sf biomedical research facility in Farmington, Conn. Designed by Tsoi/Kobus Associates and Centerbrook Architects, the $135 million JAX Genomic Medicine building will house 300 researchers, technicians, and staff. The project is located on 17 acres at the University of Connecticut Health Science Center. Construction began on the facility in early 2013 and completion is expected in fall of 2014.

ProNova Solutions is building a $50 million headquarters and research complex in Alcoa, Tenn. The first phase of construction will include a two-story, 30,000-sf research and office building and a 40,000-sf manufacturing and testing facility. A planned second phase of construction includes the addition of a two-story, 120,000-sf building. Completion is expected in 2015. ProNova is a maker of proton therapy technologies for the treatment of cancer.

The University of Wisconsin is planning to build a $75 million science building on its Stevens Point campus. The four-story, 170,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research space for biology and chemistry. Construction is expected to begin in 2015 and reach completion in 2017. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

New technologies and approaches are making the renovation of academic science facilities a more financially attractive option for institutions facing limited budgets, constrained real estate, and aging buildings with prominent historic legacies. Recent data suggests that, depending on the type of technology applied, institutions can achieve significant savings by renovating existing buildings to meet the needs of modern science as opposed to demolishing and building new.

The Department of Homeland Security began site work for the 87,000-sf Central Utility Plant for the planned 574,000-sf National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in March of 2013. The value of the construction contract is $80 million and the joint venture contractors for the project are McCarthy Building Companies and Mortenson Construction. Located at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., the facility will house heating and cooling systems as well as diesel generators for emergency power supply.

PrimeCell is building the $50 million 4MEDia center in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Located on the campus of Ostrava Teaching Hospital, the 70,000-sf biomedical research facility will accommodate 150 investigators creating therapies for conditions including heart disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. The project will foster collaboration with academic research institutions and industry partners for the commercial development of pharmaceutical products. Completion is expected in mid-2014.

The Helix Center Biotech Incubator lab provides 33,000 sf of wet and dry lab space and offices for bioscience research entrepreneurs and biotech innovators. The incubator is geared toward fast-growing companies and entrepreneurs in the early stages of research in the plant and life sciences and in the commercialization of new technologies.

The University of California, Davis opened a $58.5 million research facility for the School of Veterinary Medicine in March of 2013. Featuring collaborative open laboratories, the four-story, 76,000-asf Research Facility 3B will support 40 teams investigating animal, human, and environmental health issues including zoonotic diseases, autism, nutrition, reproduction, respiratory disease, neurobiology, food safety, toxicology, and aquatic toxicology.

The University of Washington has completed a new seven-story research facility in Seattle. UW Medicine South Lake Union 3.1 is currently undergoing commissioning and will be occupied by summer of 2013. Designed by Perkins+Will to facilitate collaboration, the building will house lab groups involved in kidney research, vision sciences, immunology, rheumatology, and infectious disease investigations. The total project cost was $164 million with a construction cost of $113 million. The 330,000-gsf project provides 180,000 gsf of research and support space.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will dedicate the $75.7 million Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) on April 5, 2013. Designed by HOK with Potter Lawson as architect of record, the 100,000-sf facility provides wet and dry labs, offices, imaging suites, high bay space, and conference rooms for collaborative research on advanced fuels, renewable energy, and energy storage systems. Ground was broken on the multidisciplinary building in November of 2010 and the project was built by M.A. Mortensen.

Lawrence Technological University is planning to build the $55 million A. Alfred Taubman Engineering, Life Sciences, and Architecture Complex in Southfield, Mich. Designed by Morphosis with Albert Kahn as architect of record, the 125,000-sf TESLA facility will be built in two phases. The first 30,000-sf phase will provide multidisciplinary collaboration space and laboratories for science, biomedical engineering, and robotics. The second phase includes a three-story building housing two floors of classrooms and labs.