Research and Development

The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing will open in March of 2013 in Disputanta, Va. The 60,000-sf collaborative research facility represents a partnership of the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University, with founding industry partners including Rolls-Royce, Canon Virginia, and Siemens. The center provides computational labs, large-scale production labs, heavy equipment manufacturing space, and surface coating process suites.

Intel Corp. began construction in June of 2012 on a $300 million research facility in Chandler, Ariz. The 285,000-sf project will support the creation of advanced semiconductor chips. Completion is expected in late 2013. Intel is also building the $5 billion Fab 42 facility on its Chandler campus.

The Department of Defense is expanding its biocontainment laboratory at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. A 41,000-sf addition to the 33,150-sf Lothar Salomon Life Sciences Test Facility will provide BSL-3 lab space for the development of threat mitigation technologies for biological weapons and infectious disease agents. The expansion will also provide administrative space and a conference room. The general contractor for the $22.6 million project is Big-D Construction of Salt Lake City. 

Charles Darwin University broke ground on an expansion of the Menzies School of Health Research in August of 2012 in Darwin, Australia. The $45.7 million project includes a new building and an upgrade to Menzies’ existing facility at Royal Darwin Hospital, and construction of a new building on the University’s Casuarina campus. Designed by Hames Sharley, the project will provide a total of 57,000 sf across both locations to support expanded clinical research operations. The general contractor is Lahey Constructions.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will begin construction in early 2013 on the $80 million Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex. The 92,900-asf (152,200-gsf) facility will provide teaching, research, and office space for the Department of Physics and labs for the School of Public Health. The seven-story building will include one level below grade, one mechanical floor, and a penthouse. Completion is expected in early 2014. 

Genzyme Corporation's $85 million Biologics Support Center has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Located in Framingham, Mass., the six-story, 186,000-sf facility provides laboratories, technical support, offices, conference rooms, manufacturing, R&D space, and a data center. The project was designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge and was completed in July of 2011.

Baxter International broke ground in August of 2012 on a $1 billion biologics manufacturing complex east of Atlanta near Covington, Ga. Located in the Stanton Springs development, the facility will support the creation of advanced plasma-based therapeutics and will accommodate 1,500 employees. Completion of the first manufacturing building is expected in 2015. Other buildings on site will house testing laboratories and warehouse space; completion is expected in 2016. Commercial production will commence in 2018.

Michigan Technological University opened the $25 million Great Lakes Research Center in Houghton in August of 2012. The 50,000-sf facility provides laboratories for limnology, aquatics, hydraulics, sediment, mass spectrometry, and exotic species. The center also houses offices, a computer and data center, a boat dock and lift, and support for underwater robotic units. 

Indiana University broke ground on the $52 million Neurosciences Research Building in Indianapolis in August of 2012. Designed by BSA LifeStructures and built by Messer Construction, the 137,000-sf facility is a collaborative initiative between Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health. The translational research building will unite clinical practice with the study of neurological disorders by providing inpatient care, outpatient care, and research in one location.

Vassar College is planning to create a $125 million integrated science center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Designed by Ennead Architects, the project includes construction of an 85,000-sf addition to Olmsted Hall and renovation of existing facilities. The center will provide multidisciplinary teaching and research space.

Construction began on the $47 million New York Genome Center in July of 2012. The project includes build-out of 170,000 sf of leased space to provide advanced facilities for sequencing, bioinformatics, R&D, and data processing. The New York Genome Center will be located on seven floors of a LEED Silver-certified building and will include a ground-floor auditorium and cafe, training facilities, and administrative offices. Completion is expected in mid-2013.

Ohio State University broke ground in July of 2012 on the 235,000-sf Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC) in Columbus. The $126 million facility will contain wet research labs with ancillary support, computational research suites, shared core laboratories, instructional spaces, and offices for faculty, administration, and graduate students. Stantec, together with Pelli Clarke Pelli, will serve as the architect for the project. The construction manager at risk is Gilbane Building Company.

Autodesk has introduced BIM 360, a next-generation Building Information Modeling platform. Autodesk BIM 360 includes a set of cloud services that will provide anytime, anywhere access to BIM project information throughout the project lifecycle. Autodesk BIM 360 will work with BIM solutions for design, construction, and operations including the Autodesk Building Design Suite and Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite.

Lancaster University has selected John McAslan + Partners to design its new engineering building in the United Kingdom. The 50,700-sf project will include two wings connected by a four-story atrium and will provide laboratory, workshop, and office space. The highest level of BREEAM sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which will utilize solar, biomass, and wind energy systems.

The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) broke ground in July of 2012 on a $53 million expansion of the Great Lakes Research Facility. Providing classrooms and aquaculture laboratories for the School of Freshwater Sciences, the facility will also house the Center for Water Policy and the Great Lakes Genomics Center. Construction will begin on the facility in August of 2012. UWM will also lease space in an existing facility that is being renovated to create a water technology business accelerator; completion is expected in spring of 2013.