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innovationUTAH.com

Linking Utah's Innovation Community

Buildings to Bolster State's "Innovation Infrastructure"

Interdisciplinary USTAR research facilities on the way at USU and U of U

 

Leading researchers and industry will utilize two state of-the-art interdisciplinary research and development facilities coming to Utah as a result of a key program of the USTAR initiative.

These facilities, one at the University of Utah (U of U) and one at Utah State University (USU), will be used by the recruited “all-star” research teams working in the initiative’s key innovation areas. Each facility will also serve as an industry magnet, encouraging collaboration between USTAR researchers and industry experts. The building construction process is being led by Project Managers from the Department of Facilities and Construction Management (DFCM).

 

USTAR is encouraging our industry contacts to provide feedback on the design of these two innovation centers. The primary purpose of these buildings is to give our research teams top-of-the-line facilities in which to conduct their work. The secondary purpose is also critical, and that is to foster the connection between industry, entrepreneurship and research.

The USU building has completed the schematic design phase. It is planned to house researchers pursuing the advancednutrition and other life science efforts. This building will be located in the Innovation Campus on the north side of the entire USU complex.

Gramoll Construction has been competitively selected as the Construction Manager General Contractor (CMGC) as was AJC Architects as the Architectural and Engineering (AE) firm and design team lead. Payette Associates will design some of the lab space.

Ground breaking for the facility took place October 17, 2008 and it is slated to open in 2011. USU facilities are to include:

At the U of U, Layton Construction, Inc. has been competitively selected as the Construction Manager General Contractor (CMGC) as was Lord Aeck Sargent Architecture as the Architectural and Engineering (AE) firm and design team lead (with local collaboration with Prescott Muir). The Design and Construction schedule on the University of Utah facility has yet to be finalized, however, construction is tentatively set to complete in 2012.

The USTAR facility is part of the U of U’s recently updated Campus Master Plan and will anchor a new research complex. Uof U facilities are to include:

The U of U is making solid progress on fund raising for their matching contribution of $30 million which will be completed before ground is broken on the new building. The new building is envisioned to be part of a four-building interdisciplinary quadrangle which will be located between lower and upper campus and act as a central unifier between the work in the College of Engineering and the Health and Medical School. Funding for the projects came in March 2006 when State legislators created a $161 million USTAR building fund. The universities are providing a $40 million match, bringing the entire building budget to $201 million.

The USTAR legislation required both of the research universities to donate land and make significant contributions towards the cost of the building prior to construction. Both the U of U and USU have designated land that will be used.

USU donated a 33,000 square-foot building in Innovation Campus which has been designated Phase I and is being used to house the existing innovation teams. The Legislature and Governing Authority approved the donation of both Building 620 and accompanying land to satisfy the university’s $10 million contribution.

USU and U of U are both finding creative ways to deal with the challenges of recruiting faculty members prior to the completion of the facilities.

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