The first overhaul to the University of Wisconsin, Madison's biochemistry facilities was completed in 1998, with the opening of a 200,000sf modern Biochem Addition building. But that was only Phase I. In a game of musical labs, the addition allowed biochemists to abandon their older buildings, which were taken over temporarily by the Microbiology Department until their new building was completed in 2008. Then Biochem Phase II began. Phase II included renovating the stately original 1912 biochemistry building and its 1937 wing, plus adding a six-story tower next door to house 20 research labs, auditoriums, a vivarium for research rodents, and instructional labs. The $112M Biochem Phase II complex is now complete and researchers are moving into their spacious new and renovated quarters on the Henry Mall.
[Biochem Phase II: the yellow blocks indicated new research laboratory space; drawing courtesy of Flad Architects and UW-Madison]
The 20 new biochem research labs are designed to house the faculty from the Enzyme Institute, as well as other Biochemistry Department faculty and the entire Biomolecular Chemistry Department from the UW School of Medicine.
Core facilities include:
- Animal facility
- X-ray crystallography
- Microscopy suite
- Chemical synthesis
[Lab photo courtesy of the Wisconsin State Journal]
The opening of the biochemistry research labs by no means signals the end of new lab construction on the UW-Madison campus. Now being built and scheduled for opening in 2013 is the second or middle tower (Phase II) of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR), a health science facility consisting of three towers to be constructed in multiple phases. The first three floors of the base beneath the middle tower were mostly completed in 2008 during Phase I construction of the first tower, which now includes:
- laboratories for integrated cancer research
- an extensive imaging science complex
- a substantial rodent and non-human primate vivarium
WIMR Phase II will build the middle tower, consisting of approximately 251,000gsf of biomedical research space on 7 floors. Researchers will be relocated from the Medical Sciences Center (MSC) on the central campus, which will be backfilled by other research labs. Research activities in the middle tower will focus on:
- cardiovascular medicine
- neuroscience
- molecular-based disease
[WIMR towers, courtesy of UW-M Facilities Planning]
Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. will once again bring together life science researchers and laboratory equipment suppliers at our 13th Annual Madison BioResearch Product Faire event, to be held on the University of Wisconsin campus on September 5, 2012. This well-attended trade show and networking opportunity has been so successful over the years that we've recently added a second, more streamlined FrontLine event at the Madison University Research Park, to be held September 6, 2012. If you are a lab supplier seeking to increase product awareness and boost your scientific sales, click the buttons below for more information about both of these shows:
