DPR Construction says it has been selected by North Carolina State University to build the school’s new Plant Sciences Building in Raleigh, which the architect says has a value of $160.2 million.
The project includes construction of a five-story, 187,000-sq. ft. interdisciplinary research building, comprising research laboratories, office space, corporate laboratory and office suites, hearth/atrium space, support space, and shared, flexible conferencing space. The partial fifth floor will house Biosafety Levels (BSL) 2 and 3 rooftop greenhouses.
The Plant Sciences Building will house the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative – a partnership between NC State University and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The initiative will draw the brightest minds in academia, government and industry together to form cross-disciplinary teams working collaboratively on innovations that will introduce new plant breeds, increase crop yields, enhance sustainability and extend growing seasons.
Key stakeholders throughout the state came together to provide the support to make possible both the initiative and the research building, DPR says in a news release NC State obtained more than $6 million for the research complex from 44 agricultural groups across the state and will use $85 million from the Connect NC bond initiative approved by voters statewide in March 2016. The university also received two grants totaling $48 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation. Together, it represents the largest single investment ever made in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and among the largest investments of any kind in the university’s history.
“We are honored to join an exceptional Plant Sciences team, working to deliver a center of excellence that will impact the future of agricultural and environmental innovations worldwide,“ said Nick Ertmer, business unit leader for DPR Construction’s North Carolina region.
Flad Architects is designing the building, which is expected to begin construction in July 2019.