Uncle Sam Kicks Off Construction of $250 Million Maryland Public Health Command Lab Replacement

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Reported by Annette Kreuger, Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Following decades of planning, construction finally has begun on a $250 million Public Health Command replacement laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Aberdeen, Maryland. The new Army Institute of Public Health building will replace existing Public Health Center laboratories, which have been located at APG since 1962.

The Aberdeen project is part of the U.S. Army's initiative to shed antiquated facilities and consolidate research activity that is currently conducted in 11 buildings, ranging from 43 to 90 years in age, that are scattered throughout the proving ground. The 275,000-square-foot building will include an abundance of innovative laboratories, including of wet labs, field labs, a GLP vivarium, Anechoic Chambers, an Insectary Chamber, and Laser Labs.

The project also will add a 43,000-square-foot Central Energy Plant (CUP) to produce chilled water, hot water and steam to support the building. The CUP also will provide emergency power to approximately half the laboratory and the entire vivarium with two 2,000-kilowatt generators.

To be staffed by both civilian and military personnel, the lab's research focus will be broad in nature. All with an eye to protecting soldiers, all citizens and animal life. The new facility will support increased demands for Public Health Command (PHC) Lab services, which include worldwide surveillance and diagnostic analysis of vector-borne and communicable diseases. Laboratory services also will support toxicological and occupational health evaluations of new materials used in military systems.

Earlier this year, Walsh Gilbane JV (a joint venture of Walsh Federal LLC, a subsidiary of The Walsh Group Limited, and Gilbane Federal, a subsidiary of Gilbane Building Company) was awarded the job under a Design/Bid/Build contract issued from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The project is expected to be completed in 2019.

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