Research and Development

The University of Washington opened the $77 million Molecular Engineering & Sciences building in Seattle in September of 2012. Designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, the four-story, 90,300-sf facility provides collaborative labs for interdisciplinary research in bioengineering, nanotechnology, materials science, energy, and protein-based therapeutics. The building was constructed on a thick slab for vibration mitigation and houses advanced instrumentation for molecular measurement.

Washington State University dedicated the Paul G. Allen Center for Global Animal Health in September of 2012 in Pullman, Wash. The three-story, 62,000-sf facility features a 5,000-sf BSL-3 laboratory for infectious disease research as well as two floors of BSL-2 research space and an administrative wing housing offices and conference rooms. The facility was designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects and built by Bouten Construction.

The University of Rhode Island opened its $75 million College of Pharmacy building in September of 2012 in Kingston. Designed by Payette, the 144,000-sf teaching and research facility provides laboratories, lecture halls, classrooms, a tissue culture suite, a simulation lab, a 3D visualization auditorium, and clinical space. A $6 million cGMP facility will open in late fall of 2012. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the building, which uses 20 percent less energy than a comparable conventional structure.

Tufts University School of Medicine will begin construction in fall of 2012 on the 1,700-sf Arnold 8 Biosafety Laboratory. The BSL-3 facility will be located in the Biomedical Research and Public Health Building in Boston and will support interdisciplinary research on tuberculosis. The estimated cost of construction is $3.5 million. Completion is expected in 2013. 

GE Healthcare introduced KUBio, a modular biopharmaceutical laboratory, in September of 2012. The 12,916-sf facility is prefabricated and delivered with a complete production line of GE's advanced technologies for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The total planning, delivery, and construction time for installation of KUBio is between 14 and 18 months. 

The University of British Columbia has completed the $75 million Earth Sciences Building in Vancouver. Designed by Perkins + Will, the 157,000-sf facility comprises two five-story wings connected by a spacious atrium and provides teaching and research labs, classrooms, lecture halls, seminar rooms, and a museum. The 35,000-sf laboratory wing includes labs for biology, chemistry, geochemistry, and ocean sciences. Construction began on the facility in mid-2010.

Connecticut College opened its updated science center on August 31, 2012. A $25.3 million renovation and expansion of New London Hall created a 21,100-sf facility for the departments of biology, botany, and computer science. The center provides interdisciplinary teaching and research space including classrooms, labs, a greenhouse, and collaboration areas. The project team included architectural firm Payette and KBE Building Corporation.

Indiana University Health opened a 270,000-sf clinical neuroscience building in August of 2012 in Indianapolis. The facility is named Goodman Hall and will provide collaborative research and treatment including outpatient care, clinical and research imaging, and multiple neuroscience specialties. An adjacent $52 million, 138,000-sf neuroscience research facility is slated for completion in 2014. 

The $200 million South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute is under construction in Adelaide. The nine-story, 269,000-sf translational research facility will house a $20 million cyclotron in a subterranean vault for the production of radioisotopes. Designed by Woods Bagot with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant, the project will also include a molecular imaging therapy unit, an animal research facility, an imaging suite, and 135,000 nsf of lab space.

The $354 million Translational Research Institute (TRI) Queensland will be completed in late 2012 in Brisbane. The project is a joint venture of the University of Queensland, Mater Medical Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, and Princess Alexandra Hospital, where the facility is located. The 345,000-sf center will support integrated research, production, testing, and manufacturing of biopharmaceutical therapies.

Georgetown University will dedicate the $100 million Regents Hall in Washington in October of 2012. Designed by Payette of Boston to maximize collaboration and interdisciplinary research, the five-story, 105,000-sf science center houses the departments of biology, chemistry, and physics. Ground was broken on the facility in May of 2010. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which includes laboratories for teaching and research as well as the NIST-funded Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology. 

Montana State University will open the 31,000-sf Cooley Laboratory in Bozeman in fall of 2012. A $17 million renovation has created an advanced research facility for the study of infectious diseases, neurology, biomedical laser applications, and select agents. Designed by Architects Design Group of Kalispell, Mont., the project was supported by $14.9 million in federal stimulus funding.

Shire Regenerative Medicine will begin construction in early 2013 on a 150,000-sf campus in San Diego. Sited on 28 acres, the project will provide labs, offices, warehouses, and manufacturing space for the creation and production of advanced therapeutics. Initial occupancy is expected in 2014. Shire Regenerative Medicine is a subsidiary of Shire Pharmaceuticals of Dublin, Ireland. Shire's U.S. headquarters is located in Wayne, Pa.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania began building the Center of Excellence for Research and Applied Sciences in August of 2012. Located in West Chester, Pa., the 43,148-sf research and teaching facility will provide chemistry and biology labs, classrooms, seminar rooms, faculty offices, a planetarium, a darkroom, cold storage, and a conference room. The $21.5 million project was designed by RMJM Hillier to support research in biology, biotechnology, medicine, mathematics, and computer science.

The University of Kansas completed construction of the $23.6 million Measurement, Materials and Sustainable Environment Center (M2SEC) in Lawrence in August of 2012. Designed by Treanor Architects, the 36,690-sf facility houses the Fracture & Fatigue Laboratory for construction materials testing; an anechoic chamber with wireless shielding for communications research; a biofuels lab; and  the Transportation Research Institute.