Rice University Nears Completion of $250 Million Bioscience Research Collaborative Center in Houston

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Reported by Annette Kreuger, Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Famous around the globe, the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, Texas, is reportedly the world's largest medical center. The TMC attracts international patients, students and scientists, all of whom are drawn to the quality of care, innovative practices and cutting-edge, pioneering treatments. The bar of excellence is about to be raised even higher, with the opening of Rice University's soon-to-be-completed $250 million Bioscience Research Collaborative Center, which will ostensibly serve to add yet another layer of prestige to the Center's reputation.

The project is truly a collaborative effort that was spearheaded by Rice and will bring together multiple teams of engineers, researchers, physicians and scientists from both medical centers and academic institutions. The focus of research will be on bioscience and biotechnology capabilities, with each participant bringing their unique specialties together in a complementary setting. Although patients will not be treated at the center itself, they will most certainly benefit from the new treatments developed by the research conducted there. For example, nanobiotechnology is expected to be used in the design of less invasive treatments for diseases that now require surgery.

In addition to Rice, the following TMC Institutions that were involved in the project include: Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital and the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston. Mexico's Tecnologico de Monterrey is just one of several other institutions being considered for participation at the research center.

The ten-story, nearly 500,000-square-foot building is located on a 2.9-acre site owned by Rice at the corner of Main Street and University Boulevard. The project was designed by a team led by San Francisco's Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, with FKP Architects (Houston) serving as the local associate. The building will feature eight floors of research laboratories topping a base that includes a vivarium, auditorium, classrooms and space for retail operations. An additional two stories of shell space will be built to allow quick expansion of the site. For future expansion there is also the option of a second 150,000-square-foot tower being added on the same platform.

Site work on the LEED-certified project began in December 2006. Despite some interference from Hurricane Ike last September, the Linbeck Group LLC (Houston) expects to be finished with construction early this summer.

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