Tsoi/Kobus and Assoc. and Centerbrook Architects selected as designers of Jackson Laboratory facility

Tsoi/Kobus & Associates and Centerbrook Architects and Planners will plan and design The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine facility according to laboratory officials. Gilbane Building Co. has been selected as program manager. JAX Genomic Medicine, a new nonprofit research institute for genomics-based medicine, will house 300 biomedical researchers, technicians and support staff in advanced computing facilities and laboratories. Initial operations will begin this year in leased space on the University of Connecticut Health Center campus. The building will initially total 173,000 s/f and eventually total 250,000 s/f on 17 acres. Officials estimate construction will begin in early 2013 and be completed by the end of 2014. The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine will enable Connecticut to assume a position of global leadership in developing new medical treatments tailored to each patient's unique genetic makeup. It's estimated the project will create 661 research-related jobs, as well as 842 construction jobs and an estimated 6,200 spinoff and indirect jobs. The total 20-year capital and research budget for the institute is projected to be $1.1 billion, with Jackson Laboratory providing $809 million through federal research grants, philanthropy and service income, and the State of Connecticut contributing $291 million ($192 million in a construction loan and $99 million in research partnership participation). "TKA is honored to be a part of the team that will bring the most technologically advanced and environmentally responsible genomics research facility to the UConn Health Center campus," said Rick Kobus, senior partner of Tsoi/Kobus . Centerbrook partner James Childress said, "This project is a big deal for us, as it is for the State of Connecticut. We have the opportunity to work with the best laboratory designers in the country to help The Jackson Laboratory create a place that will be a world leader in medical research." "We're proud to partner with The Jackson Laboratory on what will be a premier research facility for the state of Connecticut," said Jodi Brennan, vice president with Gilbane. "By combining the expertise of two top architecture and planning firms, we have the ideal team in place for this complex building project," said Charles Hewett, Ph.D., Jackson's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Both firms specialize in designing scientific research space and are leaders in environmentally friendly building practices." The nonprofit Jackson Laboratory has built or renovated seven research buildings on its Bar Harbor, Maine, headquarters campus in the last 10 years, each structure representing the state of the art in function and energy conservation. The Laboratory is planning other major construction and retrofit projects associated with energy conservation, alternative energy, recycling, waste reduction and alternative transportation. Jackson senior director of facilities John Fitzpatrick said, "Each of the design finalists presented compelling teams and initial concepts for the facility. But the team of Centerbrook-TKA reflected a deep appreciation of The Jackson Laboratory's culture. They demonstrated a strong personal connection and commitment to the project, an understanding of the need for the facility to be a great place to do cutting-edge science, and a commitment to deliver a world-class facility through low-impact design concepts." The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center based in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a facility in Sacramento, Calif., and a total staff of about 1,400. Its mission is to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human disease, and to enable research and education for the global biomedical community.