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
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 19, 2023
World’s first prefab operating room with fully automated disinfection technology opens in New York
The first prefabricated operating room in the world with fully automated disinfection technology opened recently at the University of Rochester Medicine Orthopedics Surgery Center in Henrietta, N.Y. The facility, developed in a former Sears store, features a system designed by Synergy Med, called Clean Cube, that had never been applied to an operating space before. The components of the Clean Cube operating room were custom premanufactured and then shipped to the site to be assembled.
Performing Arts Centers | Jul 18, 2023
Perelman Performing Arts Center will soon open at Ground Zero
In September, New York City will open a new performing arts center in Lower Manhattan, two decades after the master plan for Ground Zero called for a cultural component there. At a cost of $500 million, including $130 million donated by former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the Perelman Performing Arts Center (dubbed PAC NYC) is a 138-foot-tall cube-shaped building that glows at night.
Codes and Standards | Jul 17, 2023
Outdated federal rainfall analysis impacting infrastructure projects, flood insurance
Severe rainstorms, sometimes described as “atmospheric rivers” or “torrential thunderstorms,” are making the concept of a “1-in-100-year flood event” obsolete, according to a report from First Street Foundation, an organization focused on weather risk research.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 13, 2023
Walkable neighborhoods encourage stronger sense of community
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to interact with their neighbors and have a stronger sense of community than people who live in car-dependent communities, according to a report by the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.
Sustainability | Jul 13, 2023
Deep green retrofits: Updating old buildings to new sustainability standards
HOK’s David Weatherhead and Atenor’s Eoin Conroy discuss the challenges and opportunities of refurbishing old buildings to meet modern-day sustainability standards.
Contractors | Jul 13, 2023
Construction input prices remain unchanged in June, inflation slowing
Construction input prices remained unchanged in June compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices were also unchanged for the month.
Government Buildings | Jul 13, 2023
The recently opened U.S. Embassy in Ankara reflects U.S. values while honoring Turkish architecture
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has recently opened the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. The design by Ennead Architects aims to balance transparency and openness with security, according to a press statement. The design also seeks both to honor Turkey’s architectural traditions and to meet OBO’s goals of sustainability, resiliency, and stewardship.
Affordable Housing | Jul 12, 2023
Navigating homelessness with modular building solutions
San Francisco-based architect Chuck Bloszies, FAIA, SE, LEED AP, discusses his firm's designs for Navigation Centers, temporary housing for the homeless in northern California.
Sponsored | Fire and Life Safety | Jul 12, 2023
Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings [AIA course]
Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.
Building Owners | Jul 12, 2023
Building movement: When is it a problem?
As buildings age, their structural conditions can deteriorate, causing damage and safety concerns. In order to mitigate this, it’s important to engage in the regular inspection and condition assessment of buildings for diagnosis.
