Dive Brief:
- The Michigan State University Board of Trustees has approved the construction of a seven-story, 335,000-square-foot biomedical research center worth $335 million, the university announced on April 12. Southfield, Michigan-based Barton Malow is the construction manager on the project, the university confirmed to Construction Dive in an email.
- The Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Research Center will be MSU’s largest research facility to date, designed to accommodate more than 80 principal investigator teams and the latest technology, according to the release. It’s part of a larger, $3 billion development with Henry Ford Health, MSU and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
- The new facility will allow partners to expand research in areas including cancer, neuroscience, immunology and public health. Construction is expected to begin in mid-May, per the release. The research center is set to open in 2027.
Dive Insight:
Along with the center, the larger development’s scope includes a new hospital tower and campus as well as mixed-use/mixed-income residential buildings.
The Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute will occupy an entire floor of the new building. It will be the first brick-and-mortar institute solely dedicated to neurofibromatosis, the university said in its release, and will bring unique opportunities for collaboration with researchers around the world.
“Our goal is to build a research powerhouse focused on bringing hope and health to all people and that serves as a national model for how universities, health care systems and communities can work together,” said Norman Beauchamp, executive vice president for MSU Health Sciences.