{"id":11961,"date":"2010-04-05T07:00:22","date_gmt":"2010-04-05T11:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=11961"},"modified":"2011-05-31T12:40:07","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T16:40:07","slug":"new-research-building-slated-to-open-in-farmington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2010\/04\/new-research-building-slated-to-open-in-farmington\/","title":{"rendered":"New Research Building Slated to Open in Farmington"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<p>An<\/a>
An architect's rendering of 400 Farmington Avenue. Supplied by the UConn Health Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Connecticut is just months away from opening a new research building in Farmington to enhance Connecticut\u2019s role as a leader in innovative high tech research and technology transfer in the areas of stem cell biology, advanced microscopy and imaging, computational biology and genetics.<\/p>\n

Especially designed with open labs that flow into each other and office areas located on hallways running between labs, the new Cell and Genomic Sciences Building intends to promote interdisciplinary research among the academic and industry chemists, geneticists, physicists, mathematicians, cell biologists, and computer scientists housed there. This collaborative effort aims to capitalize on the power of different areas of scientific expertise to revolutionize the practice of medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to maximize the state\u2019s investment in stem cell research by establishing an infrastructure to support scientists in their quest of turning discoveries at the bench into therapies for diseases such as autism and cancer and to advance the field of regenerative medicine,\u201d says Dr. Marc Lalande, senior associate dean for research planning and coordination at the UConn Health Center and director of UConn\u2019s Stem Cell Institute, as well as professor and chairman of the medical school\u2019s genetics and developmental biology department. \u201cThis is an unprecedented opportunity for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Purchased by UConn with Board of Trustees\u2019 approval in 2007, a former research and testing facility at 400 Farmington Avenue \u2013 across the street from UConn\u2019s Health Center campus \u2013 has been undergoing a $52 million transformation and is to be equipped with the latest technologies for studying cells and their genomes. The new 117,000 square foot building is expected to open in July 2010.<\/p>\n

The renovated building will house research laboratories, offices, a 100-seat auditorium, cafeteria, and incubator space for businesses eager to commercialize stem cell science. Designed by the Boston laboratory architecture firm Goody Clancy, the renovations will meet the requirements of a LEED Silver rating, according to project manager Kevin Norton.<\/p>\n

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system \u2013 developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council \u2013 is the industry standard for measuring building sustainability.<\/p>\n

Currently more than 100 construction workers are busy completing the mechanical and electrical systems, installing finishes, laboratory casework, interior window assemblies, and skylights over the corridors of the one-story structure.<\/p>\n

Opportunities for Collaboration<\/h3>\n
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An open lab area with wood plank ceilings in the Cell and Genome Sciences Building. Photo by Kevin Norton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe overriding intent is to provide sufficient internal transparency to allow the entire research community in the building to interact, while providing natural light to internal spaces,\u201d says Norton.<\/p>\n

Scientists in the building will be involved in a wide spectrum of research projects, including the design and construction of new laser-based microscopes, computer simulation of living processes inside cells, and sequencing of human and animal genomes, says Lalande. Being located close to UConn\u2019s Health Center will support the goal of translating basic research findings to clinical trials, he adds.<\/p>\n

Two corridors lead off the entrance lobby of the building to private areas dispersed around the facility for focused research.<\/p>\n

Three major research programs will be re-located from the Health Center to the new facility: the UConn Stem Cell Institute (UCSCI), the R.D. Berlin Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling (CCAM), and the Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology. Together these three programs include about 180 scientists and their staff.<\/p>\n