Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Vermont Opens New Medical Research Facility

  • 11/03/22

The University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt., recently celebrated the grand opening of a new medical research building as part of the Larner College of Medicine. The Firestone Medical Research Building covers 62,650 square feet and will feature amenities like flexible research lab space, lab support, administrative space, core space for circulation, and more. It will also play home to multidisciplinary research teams in fields like lung disease, cancer, cardiovascular health, and brain health, according to a university news release.

Construction on the project began in Sept. 2020, against the backdrop of the pandemic. Despite nationwide construction delays, the university continued the project as biomedical research into the SARS-CoV-2virus was in full swing.

“Those early days of the pandemic taught us many lessons, some of them heartbreaking in nature, and they deeply underscored the value of biomedical research,” said Larner College of Medicine Dean RichardL. Page, M.D., at the ceremony. “So even in the depths of the crisis, when we might have been forgiven, and forgiven ourselves, for delaying the plans for the Firestone Building until less tumultuous times, we decided to forge ahead.”

The news release reports that the facility has the capacity for 250faculty, students and staff, as well as 42 principal investigator offices and 150 lab bench stations.The university partnered with architects-of-record Payette and Black River Design and with construction firm PC Construction. The facility comes with a price tag of about $45 million.

“The work that happens on this campus every day—in every college andschool—directly impacts the quality of life for people near and far,” said UVM President Suresh Garimella. “The Center for SharedBiomedical Resources is a key example of our institution bringing into being a resource for the entire region, beyond just those directly connected to UVM. Researchers at other institutions and in state government will be able to take advantage of the technology at the center.”

Featured

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.