Carolina development targets innovation The Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, has launched its ambitious Innovista Research Campus. The 500-acre mixed-use community in downtown Columbia is slated to host a mix of research space, medium-density housing, parking, retail, and recreational facilities. Anchor research facilities, totaling more than 1 million ft2, include a pair of lab complexes with both university and commercial-tenant facilities, and a five-story research/ office facility recently completed for the university’s Arnold School of Public Health. Sasaki Associates, Watertown, Mass., was the master planner for the campus, which targets LEED certification for all facilities. A mix of state, university, and developer funding is involved, with full build-out projected by 2020. For more: http://innovista.sc.edu/. Labs garner architectural bouquets, brickbats Two lab projects were cited as top winners and losers in the “Orchids and Onions” design awards, a controversial program administered by the San Diego Architectural Foundation. For the first time ever, a public on-line voting process offered input to the organizers. The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CalIT2) facility at UC-San Diego won the Grand Orchid award, while the expansion plan for the Salk Institute, La Jolla, Calif., was “honored” with the Grand Onion. (The latter project, as yet unbuilt, was decried for potentially spoiling the classic vistas created by original architect Louis I. Kahn.) Beth Alton, a Salk Institute spokesperson, commented that the “award” might be construed as an invitation for Salk to “go to Florida, like some other La Jolla research institutions.” For more: www.signonsandiego.com/orchidsandonions/. Princeton’s Gehry building delayed The Lewis Library, designed for Princeton Univ. by California “starchitectect” Frank Gehry, has encountered construction problems that will delay the planned spring 2007 opening. Part of a push to improve science facilities at the Princeton, N.J., campus, the $60 million library features Gehry’s signature asymmetrical style in an 87,000 ft2 structure. Construction by Skanska USA Building Inc., Parsippany, N.J., commenced in 2004, but continuing unspecified “issues” with speed have led the client to dismiss the contractor and hire Barr and Barr Inc., New York City, to finish the project. The split is somewhat surprising given Skanska’s previous track record of successful work at Princeton. Skanska was also the contractor for Gehry’s iconic Stata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For more: www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2006/12/01/news/16813.shtml. D.C. legislates green design Washington, D.C., has passed a bill requiring all private developers creating commercial facilities of 50,000 ft2 or more to adhere to LEED principles, starting in 2012. The ordinance encompasses both new construction and major renovations. All city-owned commercial projects funded in 2008 or later, including housing, would have to attain certification, and district-funded schools would also have to comply (though separate standards for schools are anticipated as a future LEED development). In 2009, the requirement would kick in for buildings with 20% or more of public financing, followed three years later by the compliance requirement for all large commercial buildings. Only LEED certification is mandated, and no specific “green” features or strategies are specified. The decision was attended by some controversy, with critics charging that developers should be allowed to choose between LEED and competing systems (notably, the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes system). For more: www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/12/06/dc_adopts_green_building_rules/. SEFA launches Operation Asia The Scientific Equipment and Furniture Assn.’s new Operation Asia initiative aims to bring SEFA-style information and standards to the burgeoning Asian lab design and construction market. Longtime SEFA member So-Yeng Chen, of the Los Angeles office of Japan-based Dalton Corp., is spearheading the effort, along with other Asia-based SEFA member firms. A standing committee is being formed to hammer out tasks and goals for the group, and SEFA intends to have a meeting next September in Shanghai. The Asian initiative is just one of several outreach efforts recently undertaken by SEFA, which has linked its future fall meetings to the Labs21 annual conference and is also working with the organizers of the ARABLAB 2007 lab equipment trade show, which will be held in February in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For more: www.sefalabs.com. Rutgers re-envisions itself Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, has selected a team to create a new master plan for the venerable campus, in anticipation of a major upgrade to the academic facilities. The initial effort, estimated at $15 million, aims to forge a stronger connection between the campus and the Raritan River, with an emphasis on outdoor walkways and green spaces. The design team includes TEN Architectos, New York City and Mexico City (master planner/architect); Wallace, Rogers & Todd, Philadelphia (landscape architecture); Pasanella + Klein Stoltzman + Berg, New York City (historic preservation): Arup, New York City (engineering/sustainable design); and Green Shield Ecology Inc., Bridgewater, N.J. (landscape restoration). Rutgers hopes to commence the work next year. Long-term, the university hopes to improve the entire New Brunswick/Piscataway campus with a variety of new buildings, including labs, classrooms, housing, and student amenities. For more: http://ur.rutgers.edu/medrel/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=5505. Lab-focused A/Es among “best to work for” A recent ranking of the nation’s “Top 20 Best Architecture Firms to Work For” included a number of firms that count research, science, and technology among their core markets. Prepared by consultant Zweig White, the listing is sponsored by Architectural Products and Architecture Week magazines, and is based on firms’ commitment to providing a positive work environment and challenging and interesting design opportunities. Among the honorees that do a large amount of lab work were BSA LifeStructures, Indianapolis (ranked No. 6); RNL Design, Denver (8); and Harley Ellis Devereaux, Southfield, Mich. (11). Also listed were some firms that occasionally do lab projects, including Mackey Mitchell Associates, St. Louis (9) and JLG Architects, Grand Forks, N.D. (13). For more: www.zweigwhite.com/news/item.asp?prID=267.