Principals of owner Weill Cornell Medical College, professionals from AECOM’s Tishman Construction Corporation construction-management practice, and hundreds of construction trades people celebrated the “topping out” of the Belfer Research Building recently, as the final bucket of concrete was lifted to the highest levels of the building’s structure.
The project is a new, $650-million, 19-story building comprising 480,000 sf—equivalent to 10 football fields—which will become home to significantly expanded bench-to-bedside translational, medical research initiatives.
Located on E. 69th Street between First and York Avenues on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the world-class facility will include 16 program areas, dozens of state-of-the-art laboratories and principal investigator office suites, and three below-street levels, and will allow Weill Cornell Medical College to recruit 30 or more additional top scientists. Its open design will promote collaboration with Cornell University faculty in Ithaca and with other researchers across the country and the world.
When it opens in 2014, the research center’s core facilities will house leading-edge scientific equipment in a shared space that will reduce technology costs. Its design and construction team is pursuing a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver rating for the building. The project’s architect is Ennead Architects LLP.
Tishman is utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) on this project to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Because it is a laboratory building, it has many more mechanical and laboratory process systems than a typical medical building. The application of BIM to the building-design process assisted the team in minimizing the space used for mechanical systems and maximizing the research spaces. Tishman also utilized BIM during pre-construction reviews to perform logistical and safety analyses, and resolve conflicts between the mechanical/electrical/plumbing and structural steel designs prior to award of contracts. BD+C
Related Stories
University Buildings | Jun 28, 2024
The American University in Cairo launches a 270,000-sf expansion of its campus in New Cairo, Egypt
In New Cairo, Egypt, The American University in Cairo (AUC) has broken ground on a roughly 270,000-sf expansion of its campus. The project encompasses two new buildings intended to enhance the physical campus and support AUC’s mission to provide top-tier education and research.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jun 27, 2024
Chicago’s long-vacant Spire site will be home to a two-tower residential development
In downtown Chicago, the site of the planned Chicago Spire, at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, has sat vacant since construction ceased in the wake of the Great Recession. In the next few years, the site will be home to a new two-tower residential development, 400 Lake Shore.
Codes and Standards | Jun 27, 2024
Berkeley, Calif., voters will decide whether to tax large buildings with gas hookups
After a court struck down a first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new buildings last year, voters in Berkeley, Calif., will have their say in November on a measure to tax large buildings that use natural gas.
Mass Timber | Jun 26, 2024
Oregon State University builds a first-of-its-kind mass timber research lab
In Corvallis, Oreg., the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex at Oregon State University aims to achieve a distinction among the world’s experimental research labs: It will be the first all-mass-timber lab meeting rigorous vibration criteria (2000 micro-inches per second, or MIPS).
Sustainability | Jun 26, 2024
5 ways ESG can influence design and create opportunities
Gensler sustainability leaders Stacey Olson, Anthony Brower, and Audrey Handelman share five ways they're rethinking designing for ESG, using a science-based approach that can impact the ESG value chain.
Student Housing | Jun 25, 2024
P3 student housing project with 176 units slated for Purdue University Fort Wayne
A public/private partnership will fund a four-story, 213,000 sf apartment complex on Purdue University Fort Wayne’s (PFW’s) North Campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The P3 entity was formed exclusively for this property.
Sustainability | Jun 24, 2024
CBRE to use Climate X platform to help clients calculate climate-related risks
CBRE will use risk analysis platform Climate X to provide climate risk data to commercial renters and property owners. The agreement will help clients calculate climate-related risks and return on investments for retrofits or acquisitions that can boost resiliency.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 24, 2024
‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement could create more affordable housing
The so-called “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) movement, where houses of worship convert their properties to housing, could help alleviate the serious housing crisis affecting many communities around the country.
Student Housing | Jun 20, 2024
How student housing developments are evolving to meet new expectations
The days of uninspired dorm rooms with little more than a bed and a communal bathroom down the hall are long gone. Students increasingly seek inclusive design, communities to enhance learning and living, and a focus on wellness that encompasses everything from meditation spaces to mental health resources.
Museums | Jun 20, 2024
Connecticut’s Bruce Museum more than doubles its size with a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition
In Greenwich, Conn., the Bruce Museum, a multidisciplinary institution highlighting art, science, and history, has undergone a campus revitalization and expansion that more than doubles the museum’s size. Designed by EskewDumezRipple and built by Turner Construction, the project includes a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition as well as a comprehensive renovation of the 32,500-sf museum, which was originally built as a private home in the mid-19th century and expanded in the early 1990s.
