HHMI Building $500 million Biomedical Science Research Center in Virginia

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) of Chevy Chase, Maryland, has chosen Loudoun County, Virginia as the site for a $500 million biomedical science research center. HHMI will build out the 281-acre Janelia Farms property over the next 10 years. The land, located just outside of Washington, D.C., near Dulles Airport, was purchased by HHMI for $53.7 million.

Site work began earlier this year and the first phase is expected to be ready for occupancy in about 4 years. Rafael Vinoly Architects PC (New York, New York) designed the project, which could eventually encompass over 700,000 square feet.

Jacobs Engineering Group Incorporated's subsidiary Jacobs Facilities Incorporated was selected to act as project manager on this first phase of the project. The initial construction will provide laboratories for up to 24 investigators plus their research staffs for a total of over 200 people. Possible future expansions are incorporated into the initial plans. The center will be home to a large, permanent research and development program. HHMI is also seeking a new approach to promoting research collaborations by offering well-equipped laboratories where a group of scientists can come to work together, each bringing a few members of their research group, for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute was established in 1953 by the aviator-industrialist for whom it is named. Its principal purpose is the conduct of basic biomedical research, which it carries out in collaboration with more than 70 universities, medical centers and other research institutions throughout the United States. HHMI is one of the largest philanthropies in the world, with an endowment of more than $12 billion and a budget that exceeds $660 million in the current fiscal year.

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