Research and Development

Georgetown University broke ground in summer of 2008 on its 155,000-gsf Science Center. Slated for completion in late 2010, the technology-rich facility will feature flexible open labs and advanced instruments for team-based research. Supporting the departments of biology, chemistry, and physics, the building will house classrooms, faculty offices, research and teaching labs, support space, and lounges. The project is designed to foster interactive multidisciplinary research with removable walls for ease of reconfiguration and an abundance of glass walls for transparency.

The University of Notre Dame and Indiana University School of Medicine are partnering to create the $20 million Harper Cancer Institute in South Bend, Ind. The 55,000-sf facility will be constructed as an addition to the existing IU School of Medicine building adjacent to Notre Dame’s campus. Supporting research into the genetic and molecular basis of cancer, the project will house 28 laboratories and offices. Harper Hall will break ground in late 2008 with occupancy expected in 18 months.

Almac Group broke ground on its $78.5 million headquarters and production facility in Lower Salford Township, Pa., in July of 2008. The 240,000-sf project, which is being managed by Skanska USA, is scheduled for completion in 2010. When complete, the 40-acre site will accommodate a 74,500-sf office building and a 165,600-sf production facility. Initially two divisions, Almac Clinical Services and Almac Clinical Technologies, will be based in the building, and plans are in place for expansion across other divisions at the site.

Momentive Performance Materials, a silicones manufacturer, will begin construction in 2009 on an $81 million headquarters and R&D center in Rensselaer, N.Y. Consolidating operations from several locations, the project is comprised of a $65 million, 124,000-sf research and development facility and a $16 million headquarters.

NATCO broke ground in July of 2008 on its new research and development center in Houston. The 30,000-sf facility will accommodate the development of process solutions for large scale pilot plants as well as providing laboratory services and computer and scale modeling. Featuring technology demonstration areas, training facilities, and conference rooms, the facility will support NATCO’s oil and gas industry technologies.

Purdue University is constructing the Wayne T. and Mary T. Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology in West Lafayette, Ind. The $30 million, 65,690-sf building broke ground in October of 2007 and will house the Markey Center for Structural Biology. Completion is slated for fall of 2009.

Stanford University will break ground in 2009 on the 200,000-sf Stanford Institutes of Medicine 1 in Palo Alto, Calif. Housing the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, the $200 million project received $43.58 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in May of 2008. Completion is expected in 2011. The project team includes Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.

Stempeutics Research opened a 5,000-sf stem cell research facility on the campus of Manipal University in India in July of 2008. Located at Shirdi Sai Baba Cancer Hospital, the cGMP laboratory will support therapeutics research and production with two Class 10,000 cleanrooms. The facility is designed to USA Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) standards and employ cGTP (current Good Tissue Practice) manufacturing processes.

IBM is planning a $1.5 billion expansion of its research and manufacturing operations in New York State. IBM will invest $400 million at the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as well as initiating an extensive expansion of its East Fishkill chip manufacturing and research facility. Additionally, a packaging plant will be constructed in upstate New York. Completion of IBM’s statewide expansion is expected by 2011.

The United Kingdom’s Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) released £397 million in research facility funding in July of 2008. The Large Facilities Capital Fund awards include:

Dow Water Solutions, part of The Dow Chemical Company, will construct the Water Technology Development Center in Tarragona, Spain. The $15 million facility will support research and development for Dow's membrane, ultrafiltration, and desalination technologies to create sustainable water supplies. The center is slated for occupancy by year-end 2009 and will house 25 researchers. Acciona Agua will design and build the facility.

The University at Albany is partnering with Albany Medical Center to build a $42 million biomedical research facility at UAlbany's East Campus in East Greenbush, N.Y. The 110,000-sf Institute for Biomedical Education and Research will accommodate collaborative research on cardiology, cancer, and neurological disorders.

GE Healthcare is constructing a $165 million digital imaging production facility in the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush, N.Y.  Slated for completion in early 2009, the facility will produce sensors for digital mammography machines in a 60,000-sf cleanroom. LEED Gold certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project, which will feature use of natural light and rooftop solar panels to power the building’s laboratory and office wings. 

Monsanto broke ground on its $6 million Learning Center in Gothenburg, Neb., in July of 2008. The 25,000-sf facility will support agricultural implementation of Monsanto’s grain hybrids. The project includes expansion of the company’s existing Gothenburg research facility and the creation of test plots. Completion is slated for April of 2009. 

Tufts University is building the $25.9 million Regional Biocontainment Laboratory in North Grafton, Mass. Part of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the facility is funded in part by $19.35 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The 38,000-gsf facility is sited on 5.4 acres in the Grafton Science Park and will include 23,290-sf of mechanical and basement space.