Michigan State University is being honored by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce for construction of the Bio Engineering Facility.
The chamber is honoring MSU for its commitment to economic development, as well as research and development in the biomedical sciences and human health.
Ground was broken in June 2013 for the 130,000-square-foot building. It is expected to open for business in the fall of 2015.
Stephen Hsu, MSU vice president for research and graduate studies, said the building represents MSU’s commitment to research in the biomedical sciences and its impact on human health in areas such as nanotechnology, robotics, tissue engineering and imaging.
Three MSU colleges will use the facility for interdisciplinary collaboration: The colleges of Engineering, Human Medicine and Natural Science.
Laboratories in the building will have an open-floor design to enhance collaborative research. The modular construction of the labs will provide flexibility as the nature of research evolves over the years.
The facility will be located between the Life Sciences and Clinical Center buildings on the south side of the MSU campus. The building will be physically connected to the existing Clinical Center C-Wing and Life Sciences B-Wing with proximity to the Radiology Building.
The building’s design will include energy-conservation methods that will create significant energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Total cost of the project is expected to be about $60.8 million. About half of that amount will be covered by $30 million from the state of Michigan
The chamber will honor MSU, and four other area organizations, at its Nov. 20 Celebration of Regional Growth Awards luncheon.