In this article, the first part in IBO‘s biannual coverage of major new labs, we take a look at government, chemical and academic laboratory buildings planned for or under construction.

Government

US FY18 Budget Jumpstarts Construction on Chemistry Lab

Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Location: Richland, WA

Lab Size: 120,000 ft² (11,148 m²)

Lab Cost: $93 million

Estimated Opening Date: 2022, depending on continued DoE approvals for the project

With allocations for construction allotted in the FY18 US budget, the new world class chemistry lab at PNNL will focus on basic science and innovation, such as developing advanced catalysts and materials for new energy and transportation technologies. Approximately 150 PNNL employees will have access to labs and work spaces, and the facility will also be able to house up to 50 visiting researchers collaborating on projects with PNNL researchers. The facility will include a next generation electron microscope, as well as a cutting edge NMR machine.

Cold Spring Harbor to be Home of New Biomedical Research Lab

Organization: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Location: Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Lab Size: 26,000 ft² (2,415 m²)

Lab Cost: $75 million

Estimated Opening Date: end of 2019

The new Center for Therapeutics Research will focus on biomedical research for advancing treatment for genetic diseases. The Center will allow dozens of scientists to collaborate on projects that integrate biology and genomics with chemistry and protein data. The goal of the lab is to ultimately develop advanced drug compounds to treat genetic diseases by targeting the underlying biological pathways.

Since 1890, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has won eight Nobel Prizes for advances in molecular biology and genetics, and the establishment of the new research facility will help contribute to the Laboratory’s legacy. “The faster you get these inventions, these discoveries to market, the more you help people,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “You can literally save lives. And Cold Spring harbor has done that.”

UK DRI to Establish Research Lab at University College London

Organization: UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI)

Location: London, IK

Lab Size: N/A

Lab Cost: £290 million ($411.9 million)

Estimated Opening Date: 2024

The UK DRI is a collaborative project between the Medical Research Council, the Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. Led by University College London (UCL), the UK DRI is redeveloping the Eastman Dental Hospital in London for advancing research into dementia prevention and treatment. The hub will be connected to the UCL Institute of Neurology in this new facility, housing over 500 neuroscientists. It will also provide space for public engagement.

“By 2020 we want to be the best country in the world for dementia care, and we also want to be best place in the world to undertake research into dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases,” stated UK Business Secretary Greg Clark.

 

Chemicals

DuPont Spinoff Breaks Ground on New R&D Lab

Organization: Chemours

Location: Newark, DE

Lab Size: 312,000 ft² (30,000 m²)

Lab Cost: $150 million

Estimated Opening Date: Early 2020

The Chemours Discovery Hub at the University of Delaware’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) campus in Newark will focus on process, product and application development to improve meeting market standards and needs. Chemours is a DuPont spinoff with brands such as Teflon.

The groundbreaking of the lab took place in January. “[The] groundbreaking goes far beyond a new building for Chemours,” commented University of Delaware (UD) President Dennis Assanis. “As partners in innovation and economic development, Chemours and UD will build dynamic connections across business, education, research, learning and discovery.”

Water and Waste Management Company to Open Specialty Chemicals Lab

Organization: SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions (WT&S)

Location: Tomball, TX

Lab Size: 50,000 ft² (4,645 m²)

Lab Cost: N/A

Estimated Opening Date: August 2018

SUEZ W&T’s new facility in Texas will serve as an R&D lab for specialty chemicals for the company’s industrial segment. Projects will include developing new chemical and monitoring technologies. The state-of-the-art laboratory will include training facilities for engineers and scientists, and provide them with improved digital resources. The new lab will house scientists with expertise in various fields, such as metallurgical failure analysis, and chromatography and MS methods development.

The facility will also help strengthen the company’s presence in the oil and gas industry by emphasizing global upstream and downstream applications. “The new facility will incorporate a multitude of different assets that help our analysis,” said George DeLong, Global Analytical Laboratory leader at SUEZ WT&S. “[This includes] everything from simple pH instrumentation to very complex chromatography/mass spectrometers, scanning electron microscopes, x-ray diffractometers and more.”

 

Academia

 New Teaching and Wet Lab Facility in Florida

Organization: University of West Florida (UWF) Hal Marcus Campus of Science and Engineering

Location: Pensacola, FL

Lab Size: 52,790 ft² (4,904 m²)

Lab Cost: $26.3 million

Estimated Opening Date: summer 2019

Connected to the University’s Life Sciences Laboratory on its Pensacola campus, the new Laboratory Science Annex will provide extra classroom and wet lab space. The new building will be the location of 12 new teaching facilities for biology and chemistry programs, and will provide technology upgrades of equipment.

The Annex will also expand the university’s research efforts, for which it receives over $1 million each year in grants and contracts. “Breaking ground on the Lab Sciences Annex is a substantial step forward into UWF’s next 50 years,” commented Dr. George Ellenberg, provost and senior vice president.

Yale Continues Construction on New Science Building

Organization: Yale University

Location: New Haven, CT

Lab Size: 240,000 ft² (22,297 m²)

Lab Cost: at least $200 million

Estimated Opening Date: fall 2019

At seven stories high, the new Yale Science Building will replace the JW Gibbs Laboratory, and will house the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, as well as certain members from the departments of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Physics. The facility is expected to attract both science and non-science majors due to the open space and lecture halls.

The Building will have advanced technologies, such as specialized vibration-free labs for electron microscopy in its basement as well as a greenhouse for ecological research on the top floor. “I want Yale to be pre-eminent in the sciences and engineering, ”commented  Yale University President Peter Salovey. “This is a building that is going to get us there. It’s a new day on Science Hill.”

University of Wisconsin Zeroes In on Chemistry

Organization: University of Wisconsin, Madison

Location: Madison, WI

Lab Size: 188,442 ft² (17,507 m²)

Lab Cost: $123 million

Estimated Opening Date: 2020

Construction of a 10-story chemistry complex is underway. The building is a response to the growing demand for chemistry at the University, with enrollment in chemistry courses growing approximately 50% over the past two decades in STEM fields.

The budget will also cover renovations for the Daniels chemistry building. The renovated facility will include six teaching labs, extra classrooms, study areas and offices. Construction of this facility is slated for 2020, after the completion of the new chemistry complex, with opening expected by October 2022.

New Immunotherapy Research Center to be Established in Pittsburgh

Organization: University of Pittsburgh, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Lab Size: 200,000 ft² (18,581 m²)

Lab Cost: $200 million

Estimated Opening Date: 2020

The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC are collaborating on this multimillion project to accelerate immunotherapy research. The UPMC Immune Transplant and Therapy Center will emphasize research on transplantation, cancer, and aging and chronic diseases through innovations in drug development to treat chronic illnesses, rejections of transplantations and cancer.

The Center will conduct research and clinical trials. “This carries vividly the spirit of innovation and development,” stated Jeffrey Romoff, UPMC president and CEO. “This is a period of radical transformation in health care. Here we are looking at cutting edge research.”

Interdisciplinary Sciences Building to be Constructed in Washington

Organization: Gonzaga University

Location: Spokane, WA

Lab Size: 80,000 ft² (7,432 m²)

Lab Cost: $48 million

Estimated Opening Date: 2019

After constructing a new athletic center, residential building and performing arts center, Gonzaga University is now  focusing on the sciences. The Integrated Science and Engineering building will be home to an interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Along with engineering, students will be able to study subjects such as bioinformatics and materials science. Classrooms, project areas, teaching labs and research spaces will make up the new building.

New Medical Center for Complex Disease Research and Care to Open This Year

Organization: Mayo Clinic

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Lab Size: 190,000 ft² (17,652 m²)

Lab Cost: $20 million

Estimated Opening Date: summer 2018

With a donation from the Harry T. Mangurian Jr. Foundation, the Mayo Clinic is currently constructing the Dorothy J. and Harry T. Mangurian Jr. Building, which will have 5 stories but the ability to expand to 12 stories. The building staff will provide cancer, neurological and neurosurgical treatments, with one floor dedicated to researchers. Two floors will house staff providing hematology and oncology care, and one floor will be used for neurology and neurosurgery care.

Due to the building housing the latest medical techniques and research, it has been touted as a “destination medical building,” where  patients with complex diseases will receive treatment,