In St. Louis’ Cortex Innovation District, Washington University School of Medicine recently opened its new Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building.
Designed by CannonDesign and Perkins&Will, the 11-story, 609,000-sf facility is one of the largest neuroscience buildings in the world, according to a statement from McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., the project’s construction manager.
Intended to advance research in areas such as Alzheimer’s disease and brain tumors, the $616 million facility currently accommodates 1,000 faculty and staff members, including 95 research teams. In the future, additional space could be constructed to accommodate an additional 350 faculty and staff members, including about 145 research teams.
The project faced labor and supply chain challenges when construction started in spring 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, the project finished on budget and on schedule. McCarthy attributes this success to effective pre-project planning and the use of lean construction techniques.
“Early collaboration played a pivotal role in the success of this project,” Andy Poirot, vice president and project executive, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., said in the statement. “We successfully realized the client’s vision, delivering a cutting-edge research facility poised to enhance lives for generations to come.”
Prefabrication and 3D modeling also helped the team overcome the project constraints. About 90% of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems were prefabricated and tested before installation onsite. Prefab components both improved quality and reduced the number of onsite professionals needed for MEP installation. The building’s façade, with a unitized curtain wall, also was prefabricated.
In addition to the research building, the facility features a parking structure with 1,846 vehicle spaces as well as bicycle racks and electric vehicle charging stations. A 1,000-ft elevated pedestrian connection spans 360 ft, connecting the new building to an existing parking garage and surrounding structures. The project also includes a two-story, 24,775-sf utility plant.
The project is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Washington University School of Medicine
Architect of record and structural engineer: CannonDesign
Design architect: Perkins&Will
MEP engineer: Affiliated Engineers, Inc., with CannonDesign also on mechanicals
Construction manager: McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., partnered with Tarlton Corporation and KAI Enterprises
Related Stories
University Buildings | Aug 22, 2018
Skanska completes James Madison University’s new dining hall
The three-story building will open for fall semester 2018.
University Buildings | Aug 14, 2018
Following in the Ryan Fieldhouse’s footsteps, Northwestern University’s Walter Athletics Center officially opens
Perkins+Will designed both the Ryan Fieldhouse and the new Walter Athletics Center.
University Buildings | Aug 9, 2018
First innovation building on the master planned UNLV Harry Reid Research and Technology Park breaks ground
The building is the first of many planned for the 122-acre campus.
University Buildings | Aug 6, 2018
Academic honors: The importance of residence halls
Three recent projects demonstrate the dynamic role residence halls are playing on America’s college and university campuses.
University Buildings | Jul 30, 2018
University trends 2018: Schools are desperately searching for ways to economize
Though the U.S. economy is strong with investment gains buoying endowments, colleges and universities face pressures to economize and stretch their capital budgets.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 13, 2018
Student housing vs. multifamily housing—what are the differences?
While student and multi-family housing share a common building form, it’s the student resident that drives the innovation of new spaces.
University Buildings | Jul 11, 2018
Sac State’s new science complex and planetarium nears completion
CO Architects designed the facility.
University Buildings | Jul 5, 2018
Brown University’s Engineering Research Center increases the university’s School of Engineering lab space by 30%
KieranTimberlake designed the facility and Shawmut Design and Construction was the general contractor.
University Buildings | Jul 2, 2018
Columbus State Community College’s new hospitality management and culinary arts building breaks ground
DesignGroup is the architect for the project.
University Buildings | Jun 25, 2018
Virginia Commonwealth has at least three major expansion projects under construction
New buildings for outpatient care, engineering, and rehabilitation of serious injuries and debilities are scheduled to be completed in 2020.
