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
Sustainability | Feb 9, 2023
New guide for planning, designing, and operating onsite water reuse systems
The Pacific Institute, a global nonpartisan water think tank, has released guidance for developers to plan, design, and operate onsite water reuse systems. The Guide for Developing Onsite Water Systems to Support Regional Water Resilience advances circular, localized approaches to managing water that reduce a site’s water footprint, improve its resilience to water shortage or other disruptions, and provide benefits for local communities and regional water systems.
Office Buildings | Feb 9, 2023
Post-Covid Manhattan office market rebound gaining momentum
Office workers in Manhattan continue to return to their workplaces in sufficient numbers for many of their employers to maintain or expand their footprint in the city, according to a survey of more than 140 major Manhattan office employers conducted in January by The Partnership for New York City.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
University Buildings | Feb 8, 2023
STEM-focused Kettering University opens Stantec-designed Learning Commons
In Flint, Mich., Kettering University opened its new $63 million Learning Commons, designed by Stantec. The new facility will support collaboration, ideation, and digital technology for the STEM-focused higher learning institution.
Sustainability | Feb 8, 2023
A wind energy system—without the blades—can be placed on commercial building rooftops
Aeromine Technologies’ bladeless system captures and amplifies a building’s airflow like airfoils on a race car.
Codes and Standards | Feb 8, 2023
GSA releases draft of federal low embodied carbon material standards
The General Services Administration recently released a document that outlines standards for low embodied carbon materials and products to be used on federal construction projects.
University Buildings | Feb 7, 2023
Kansas City University's Center for Medical Education Innovation can adapt to changes in medical curriculum
The Center for Medical Education Innovation (CMEI) at Kansas City University was designed to adapt to changes in medical curriculum and pedagogy. The project program supported the mission of training leaders in osteopathic medicine with a state-of-the-art facility that leverages active-learning and simulation-based training.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 7, 2023
Multifamily housing rents flat in January, developers remain optimistic
Multifamily rents were flat in January 2023 as a strong jobs report indicated that fears of a significant economic recession may be overblown. U.S. asking rents averaged $1,701, unchanged from the prior month, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Multifamily Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. building reconstruction and renovation sector
Gensler, Stantec, IPS, Alfa Tech, STO Building Group, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest reconstruction sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Transit Facility Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. transit facility sector
Walsh Group, Skanska USA, HDR, Perkins and Will, and AECOM top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest transit facility sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
