$178M VAI expansion on track for 2009 opening

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

When the architects sat down at the table in 1997 to draw up the plans for the Van Andel Institute (VAI), Phase 2 was a big part of the vision. Now, 11 years later, the $178 million Phase 2 addition is well on its way to tripling the laboratory space for the life sciences research facility.

The 241,000-square-foot expansion broke ground 15 months ago and will bring VAI’s lab space to 95,000 square feet when construction wraps up in late 2009. An expanded lobby area for the main entrance at 333 Bostwick NE includes a reflecting pool, two large conference rooms, an employee cafeteria and a fully functioning lab with a glass wall.

“The conference rooms, along with our existing auditorium, will increase our ability to host seminars and other functions,” says Bill Culhane of Culhane & Fahrenkrug Consulting, the firm managing the project. “The demonstration lab will allow visitors to see what’s going on in the lab without going in it.”

The seven-story structure stair-steps down the hill from Crescent Park allowing five of the levels to sport triple-pane low-E glass roofs that will bring natural light into the building. Photovoltaic cells will produce enough energy for peak shaving to reduce energy costs.

Some fun facts:

• Of the 36 subcontractors onsite, 32 are local companies.
• Over 130 workers are onsite each day; VAI leaders expect that number to climb to 270 workers a day in 2009 as the interior finish work takes place.
• Some of the glass units will exceed 2,000 pounds each.
• Crews have recycled 95 percent of the project’s waste materials. A typical construction project generates enough waste to fill the new structure twice by volume.

Source: Bill Culhane, Culhane & Fahrenkrug

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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].