Research campus takes shape in N.C. Public and private partners envision a major boost to research in the Tarheel State in the form of a 350-acre research park in Kannapolis. The North Carolina Research Campus, north of Charlotte, is the brainchild of entrepreneur David H. Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke Inc. and Dole Food Co. Inc. Murdock is investing ~$1 billion in development and construction, and another $100 million to fund strategic biotech startups. Relationships with multiple university and community college partners are anticipated, including the Univs. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and Charlotte, as well as Duke Univ., North Carolina State Univ., North Carolina A&T Univ., and North Carolina Central Univ. As much as 1 million ft2 of lab and office space is planned for the ultimate build-out of the site, which for merly held a textile mill. Residential, hotel, government, conference, and girls’ junior and senior high school facilities (focused on math and science) are also planned.
Initial projects include the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, a 160,000-ft2 facility for use by researchers from multiple UNC campuses, and a Center for Agricultural Genetics, to be operated by North Carolina State Univ. Nearing completion is the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building, a $200 million, 311,000-ft2 facility created to provide sophisticated scientific equipment. Managed by Duke Univ., the building will also house the Dole Nutrition Institute with several UNC campuses participating; the owner is the David H. Murdock Research Institute, a new non-
profit. A 24,000-ft2 central utility plant was completed in June. For more: www.ncresearchcampus.net.
Louisville plans major expansion The Univ. of Louisville, in cooperation with Maryland-based developer Wexford Science + Technology, will expand its downtown Health Science Center in a $2.5 billion plan encompassing up to 3.2 million ft2 of construction. The two-decade plan includes as many as six new lab/office buildings, as well as additional research facilities, administrative buildings, and parking space. The state of Kentucky will provide some $1.8 billion in funding, to be augmented by ~$700 million from the private sector. The intention of encouraging business development in the sector, including a research park named for the historic Haymarket area, will also be supported by creation of a TIF district. Proposed construction of a new highway ramp would make the site more easily accessible from I-65. For more:http://php.louisville.edu/news/news.php?news=939.
Salk on watch list The World Monuments Fund, a nonprofit organization, has included the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif., on its 2008 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. Designed by Louis Kahn in collaboration with Luis Barragan, the research facility’s iconic courtyard is flanked by lab buildings, framing a famed view of ocean and sky. The Salk has announced a plan to add above- and below-ground space, including labs and administrative and support space, more than doubling the existing 210,000 ft2 size. The WMF contends the plan would “partially obscure and thereby destroy the iconic view.” Projects placed on the watch list, which is issued every two years, are judged in terms of their significance, the urgency of the threat, and the viability of a solution to remove the threat. Salk officials argue that their intentions reflect the original plans for the site, and that the view will not be affected, according to computer simulations. Salk is also constrained by environmental concerns involving the use of undeveloped portions of the property. For more:www.worldmonumentswatch.org and www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070617/news_1h17salk.html.
FDA, Fort Detrick, Texas labs recognized The FDA Engineering & Physics Laboratory, Silver Spring, Md., has been honored in Mid-Atlantic Construction magazine’s Best of 2007 awards. The 135,000-ft2 lab (profiled in the September 2007 issue of Laboratory Design) received an Award of Merit in the Institutional category, based on its ability to “best achieve the established goals of the project team, overcome significant challenges, adopt innovative approaches, and exhibit exceptional
teamwork.” The project team included the FDA and GSA, designer KlingStubbins in association with RTKL, construction manager Heery-Tishman, and general contractor Tompkins Builders.
Mid-Atlantic Construction also prepares annual rankings of significant projects, by construction budget, in the states it covers. The 160,000-ft2, $120 million National Biodefense and Countermeasures Center, Fort Detrick, was named the No. 4 project in Maryland for 2007. The lab, which includes BSL-2, -3, and -4 facilities, is owned by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security and is expected to open late next year. The project team includes architect Perkins+Will and construction manager Gilbane. For more: http://midatlantic.construction.com.
Texas Construction magazine also issues annual Top Projects reports based on construction budget. Labs listed in the recently released 2007 report of 30 projects include the Texas A&M Univ. Interdisciplinary Life Sciences building, a $75 million project on the College Station campus, designed by Perkins+Will and slated for completion in August 2008; and the Univ. of Texas-Austin Dell Pediatric Research Institute, a $70.8 million facility designed by HOK and expected to be completed by the end of 2008.
Texas Construction also administers an annual “Best of” awards competition based on project excellence. The Univ. of Texas-Dallas Natural Science Engineering Laboratory, Richardson, was named Best of Higher Education; the 192,000-ft2, $85 million lab was designed by PageSoutherlandPage and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP, with construction management by Centex Corp. For more: http://texas.construction.com.
NREL construction push continues Hot on the heels of scoring LEED Platinum for its Science & Technology Facility, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colo., has broken ground on another “green” building. The Research Support Facility, expected to be completed next summer, will be a 210,000-ft2 building designed to be a model for sustainable, high-performance design, and will provide DoE-owned work space for administrative staff who currently occupy leased space. Two major renewable power projects are also underway at the site: a Renewable Fuel Heating Plant that aims to use biomass to cut NRELs’s future natural gas use by 75%, and the Mesa Top PV Project, a new 5-acre photovoltaic array that will help to power the main campus. The projects reflect NREL’s commitment to the department’s Transformational Energy Action Management Initiative, a program aimed at maximizing energy efficiency and renewable energy generation across all DoE properties. The biomass plant is expected to be completed in May 2008, and will use natural fuels including wood chips from forest thinning along Colorado’s Front Range. The solar installation should also be complete next spring. For more:www.nrel.gov/news/press/2007/534.html.
Consensus construction documents released A collaborative group of 20 construction-industry associations has released ConsensusDOCS, a collection of more than 70 collaboratively drafted standard construction contracts. The collection represents the input of designers, owners, contractors, subcontractors, and surety bond firms, and is intended to safeguard projects’ best interest rather than a single-party interest. The documents are designed to “establish a new ‘gold standard’ for defining contractual relationships in design and construction projects,” according to E. Colette Nelson, executive VP of the American Subcontractors Assn. Inc. For more:www.consensusdocs.org.
NIST says biopharma infrastructure needs a boost The key to lower drug development costs is an improvement in infrastructure technology, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Improvements in the R&D, manufacturing, and post-market infrastructure would ultimately save the industry hundreds of millions of dollars every year, according to a new analysis by the agency. Prepared by RTI International for NIST, the study indicates that a shift from small-molecule chemicals to large-molecule proteins and other biopharmaceuticals indicates that infrastructure improvements are needed, especially in the areas of bioimaging, biomarkers, bioinformatics, and gene expression. For a free download of “Economic Analysis of the Technology Infrastructure Needs of the U.S. Biopharmaceutical Industry,” visit: www.nist.gov/director/prog-ofc/report07-1.pdf.
Johns Hopkins quad garners kudos The new Decker Quadrangle on the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins Univ. was recently completed, receiving positive recognition from Baltimore’s architectural media. The $78-million addition includes widely diverse facilities inside aesthetically similar shells: a sophisticated 80,000-ft2 interdisciplinary research lab and a 28,000-ft2 visitor’s center and admissions office. A 604-space underground garage with a green roof forming the central courtyard was also included in the project, which was master planned by Ayers/ Saint/Gross of Baltimore. Existing buildings form the other two sides of the quad, including a 1970s-era admissions facility and the 1991 Clark Hall biomedical engineering building.
The new Computational Science and Engineering Building, Mason Hall visitor’s center, and underground garage were all designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott of Boston, in close collaboration with Johns Hopkins staff. The traditional exterior architecture harmonizes with existing facilities. “This is a relatively conservative approach to campus-making… But for an institution with a strong architectural legacy to build on, as Hopkins has at Homewood, it makes sense,” says Baltimore Sun architecture critic Edward Gunts.
For more: www.jhu.edu/news/home07/oct07/deckerquad.html.
Penn grad developing lab equipment for the blind In a new twist on scientific entrepreneurship, Cary Supalo hopes to develop lab equipment and techniques to aid blind students in learning about chemistry. Supalo, who is blind, is pursuing a doctorate in chemistry education at The Pennsylvania State Univ., and is working on a project funded by a $300,000 National Science Foundation Grant. Previously frustrated by his limited ability to participate in experiments, Supalo is now researching lab procedures and equipment that would make chemistry instruction more hands-on and accessible for blind and low-vision high school students. Software that narrates experimental techniques, and equipment with voice capability, are important focuses of Suplalo’s work.
For more: http://live.psu.edu/story/26382.
ASHRAE mulls changes to 62.1 ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007, “Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality,” is up for revision, with seven proposed addenda now on the table. Addendum 62g would provide more specific requirements for optional demand-controlled ventilation control systems based on use of CO2 levels as related to outdoor airflow rates. Other addenda involve energy recovery systems, performance-based requirements for specific contaminants, and ventilation in smoking areas. For more:www.ashrae.org.
EPA contest spurs innovation The Environmental Protection Agency has announced the winners of the Lifecycle Building Challenge competition, intended to promote innovative strategies for creating buildings that can be easily disassembled. Winning components include a demountable tape drywall attachment system; a deconstructable and reusable composite slab structural floor system; and ideas for reusing regionally available materials such as discarded railroad track. For more:www.lifecyclebuilding.org.
