Earlier this month, a real-estate development joint venture broke ground in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., on the $85 million, 205,000-sf Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building that is expected to drive innovation in life sciences through research, testing, and the commercialization of new therapies.
The project, which is scheduled for completion in in late 2021, is the result of a public-private partnership called Health Innovation Partners that includes Michigan State University (MSU), locally based GC Rockford Construction, and two Chicago-based firms Walsh Construction and Murphy Development Group. SmithGroup is the project’s lead architect.
Health Innovation Partners is leasing the land for the six-story Medical Innovation Building from MSU along the university’s so-called Medical Mile, next door to MSU’s 162,000-sf Research Center, which opened in 2017 and whose researchers concentrate on finding cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The new building will include a 600-car parking structure. A third building is in the planning stage.
Over 250 guests, team members, and local officials turned out for the Nov. 18 groundbreaking of the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building in Grand Rapids, Mich.
MSU President Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., MD, stated during the groundbreaking ceremony that this latest project is one more step in Grand Rapids’ emergence as a national player in the health research and innovation space. Confirmed tenants for the Medical Innovation Building are the MSU College of Human Medicine, Spectrum Health, and BAMF Health, a biotech company focused on delivering AI-enabled medicine through molecular imaging and Theranostics.
Future tenants are likely to focus on cancer research, mental health, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, digital and consumer-driven health technologies, and medical device development.
The new building is named after Doug Meijer, co-chairman of the supermarket chain Meijer, whose Meijer Foundation donated $19.5 million to the MSU Board of Trustees for the Medical Innovation Building’s construction.
Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., MD, President of Michigan State University (above), and Mike VanGessel, founder and CEO of Rockford Construction, a national construction and property management provider (below).
Related Stories
| Sep 13, 2010
'A Model for the Entire Industry'
How a university and its Building Team forged a relationship with 'the toughest building authority in the country' to bring a replacement hospital in early and under budget.
| Sep 13, 2010
Data Centers Keeping Energy, Security in Check
Power consumption for data centers doubled from 2000 and 2006, and it is anticipated to double again by 2011, making these mission-critical facilities the nation's largest commercial user of electric power. With major technology companies investing heavily in new data centers, it's no wonder Building Teams see these mission-critical facilities as a golden opportunity, and why they are working hard to keep energy costs at data centers in check.
| Aug 11, 2010
Green Guide for Health Care launches pilot program, looks for participants
In first quarter 2010, the Green Guide for Health Care, in collaboration with Practice Greenhealth, is launching a one-year Green Guide for Health Care Operations Pilot Program for healthcare organizations engaged in any or all aspects of green operations initiatives, based on Green Guide v2.2 Operations section.
| Aug 11, 2010
JE Dunn, Balfour Beatty among country's biggest institutional building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Institutional Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
EwingCole to merge with healthcare specialist Robert D. Lynn Associates
EwingCole, a nationally recognized architectural, engineering, interior design, and planning firm with more than 320 professionals, today announced that it will combine its practice with Robert D. Lynn Associates of Philadelphia, a 40-person firm with a robust portfolio of healthcare projects. The combination will create the Delaware Valley¹s largest and most comprehensive firm with an emphasis on healthcare architecture, and a national scope and presence.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction employment declined in 333 of 352 metro areas in June
Construction employment declined in all but 19 communities nationwide this June as compared to June-2008, according to a new analysis of metropolitan-area employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. The analysis shows that few places in America have been spared the widespread downturn in construction employment over the past year.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Hensel Phelps among the nation's 50 largest design-build contractors
A ranking of the Top 50 Design-Build Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
VA San Diego Healthcare System Building 1 Seismic Correction
San Diego, Calif.
Three decades after its original construction in the early 1970s, the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System Building 1 fell far short of current seismic codes. This not only put the building and its occupants—patients, doctors, nurses, visitors, and administrative staff—at risk in the event of a major earthquake, it violated a California state mandate requiring all hospitals to either retrofit or rebuild.
