Nano Science Building Tops Commercial List
by February 22, 2010 12:00 am 160 views
The Nanoscale Science and Engineering Building being constructed on the University of Arkansas campus is the most expensive project to get under way in Northwest Arkansas during 2009.
The three-story building, being erected on Dickson Street, will cost about $37 million and bring about 78,000 SF of high-tech research and lab space to the campus.
The project is ranked along with five other major commercial projects on Page 16. Together all six projects will cost $112.5 million to build and will bring about 590,000 SF of space to the Northwest Arkansas market.
Bob Beeler, director of design and construction at the UA, said the third floor of the nanoscale building will not be finished out just yet, but “we are confident we will grow into it.”
The concrete floors of the building are 16-inches thick to eliminate vibrations, Beeler said, because researchers will be using an electron microscope.
CDI Contractors LLC of Little Rock are the general contractors on the project and it was designed by HDR Architecture, based in Omaha, Neb.
Beyond the technical difficulties of building a nanoscale research facility, the site is very compact and on a steep incline.
“It really forces a contractor to learn just-in-time delivery,” Beeler said.
The building is slated for completion in Jan. 2011.