Research and Development

The Hospital for Sick Children is constructing the $400 million Research & Learning Tower Toronto. The 21-story, 750,000-sf facility was designed by Diamond & Schmitt Architects and HDR with EllisDon as general contractor. Housing interdisciplinary research labs, instructional space, and conference rooms, the sustainably designed tower will be built to attain LEED Gold certification. The facility will feature open, flexible labs for team research with a mixture of wet and dry benches to promote collaboration.

The University of Louisville dedicated the $44 million Center for Predictive Medicine in October of 2010. Located on the ShelbyHurst research park in East Louisville, the 50,000-sf project is an NIH-funded Regional Biodefense Laboratory and houses BSL-3 facilities for the study of emerging infectious diseases. The facility was built by Messer of Cincinnati with International Commissioning Engineers as commissioning agent. Ground was broken on the facility in 2006.

The University of Florida broke ground on the $44 million Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona in Orlando in October of 2010. Housing biomedical research laboratories and instructional space for the College of Pharmacy, the 100,000-sf facility is slated for occupancy in summer of 2012. The UF Institute of Therapeutic Innovation, an interdisciplinary biomedical research initiative, will be headquartered in the building.

The Translational Research Institute (TRI) began construction on its $360 million medical complex in Brisbane in October of 2010. Located adjacent to Princess Alexandra Hospital, the TRI will house integrated facilities for the discovery, production, clinical testing, and manufacture of new biopharmaceuticals and therapies. The complex was designed by Wilson Architects and Donovan Hill with Watpac Construction as general contractor. Occupancy is expected in October of 2012.

Pfizer completed construction of the Monoclonal Antibodies Small Scale Facility in October of 2010 in Ringaskiddy, Ireland. The cGMP facility will manufacture, purify, formulate, and bulk fill mammalian culture derived proteins for clinical trials. Establishing a biotechnology manufacturing center of excellence, the Small Scale Facility provides 5,500 liters of bioreactor capacity. The architect for the sustainably designed project was Fluor of Greenville, S.C., with Jacobs Engineering as construction manager.

Utah State University opened the $60 million BioInnovations Buildings in North Logan in October of 2010. Housing three research teams for the Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative, the 110,000-sf facility provides a BSL-3 suite, laboratories, a nanofabrication facility, a vivarium, offices, and incubator space. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the building. Ground was broken on the project in October of 2008.

Cornell University will open the $143 million Physical Sciences Building in November of 2010. The four-story, 197,000-sf facility provides classrooms, faculty offices, teaching labs, a 120-seat amphitheater, and an atrium. A basement level houses research laboratories for the departments of Physics, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Applied and Engineering Physics. Constructed on isolated slabs, the labs are built to minimize vibration and interference from electromagnetic fields.

Rockefeller University opened the Collaborative Research Center in fall of 2010. Designed by Mitchell Giurgola Architects, the $380 million project included construction of a new facility connecting two existing buildings and extensive laboratory renovations. The center supports interdisciplinary research in microbiology, immunology, and other disciplines. The facility was built by Turner Construction.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded a total of $50 million in funding in October of 2010 to support the construction of scientific research facilities. The grants include:

The University of Michigan will begin construction in spring of 2011 on the $46 million Center of Excellence in Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering in Ann Arbor. Supported by $9.5 million in funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the three-story, 62,800-sf facility will house faculty offices and 60 laboratory modules for the study of nanoengineering, imaging and optics, materials, biosystems, micro-bioengineering, mechanics and mechanical testing, and microdynamics. Completion is expected in May of 2012.

The University of Nevada, Reno is initiating an $18 million expansion of the Center for Civil Engineering Earthquake Research. The project is supported by $12.2 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology. Adding 7,000 sf to the existing 23,000-sf facility, the completed 30,000-sf laboratory will house five large shake tables capable of replicating any recorded earthquake. Completion is expected in 2013.

Stanford University School of Medicine opened the $200 million Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building in October of 2010 in Palo Alto, Calif. Ground was broken on the four-story, 200,000-sf project in October of 2008. Designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, the facility features an open design to foster interaction and collaboration.

Mary Baldwin College will begin renovating two laboratory floors in the Pearce Science Center in Staunton, Va., in late 2010. Supported by $1.2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, the project will create an imaging facility, molecular and cellular research labs, teaching labs, and animal research space. Completion is expected in August of 2012.

Surrey Satellite Technology is partnering with the University of Surrey Research Park to build a £10 million satellite R&D facility in Guildford in the United Kingdom. The 3,700-sm facility will house laboratories and cleanrooms for space engineering. Providing a single location for the assembly, testing, and integration of satellite platforms, the building will include a seismic test platform and two walk-in thermal chambers. Completion is expected in April of 2011.

The University of California, Los Angeles opened the renovated Terasaki Life Sciences Building in October of 2010. Located on the Westwood campus, the $48 million facility provides 33 open labs for collaborative research in genomics, neuroscience, biology, and regenerative medicine. The building features advanced HVAC filtration, plant growth chambers, and temperature controlled suites.