UMBI DESIGNING $38 MILLION GROWTH IN ADVANCED BIOTECH LABS

ROCKVILLE, Md.--The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute has selected the firm of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates to program and design CARB II, an extensive expansion of UMBI's Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology.

The $38 million, 140,000-square-foot expansion will be constructed next to the current CARB facility at the University System of Maryland's Shady Grove campus in Montgomery County, Maryland.

CARB II will represent a new phase in development for UMBI, emphasizing an expansion of the translation of high-caliber, basic research into industrial applications, says James Lovelace, UMBI vice president for academic affairs. Specifically, CARB II will expand UMBI research in biophysics, genome analysis, nanotechnology, mechanistic enzymology, bioinformatics, drug design, bench-top good manufacturing practices (GMP), and bioprocess production and training.

Burt Hill's selection was based on the firm's expertise in bio-medical and information technology facilities, according to Lovelace. "We are delighted with the choice of Burt Hill Rittelmann Associates, an award-winning firm that can deliver a design to serve the many complexities of a state-of-the-art biotechnology research facility. It's great to get this process started," he says.

UMBI is the only public university mandated by the Maryland state government to drive economic development in biotechnology. Its CARB II project will provide advanced biotechnology laboratories and computational facilities to serve Maryland's growing research needs. Burt Hill will also design laboratories in the CARB II facility for the expansion of research at UMBI's Center for Agricultural Biotechnology (CAB), based in College Park, Md. UMBI is one of 13 institutions of the University System of Maryland.

Burt Hill officials say the project will be fast-tracked, with ground breaking scheduled for July 1, 2002. The firm employs approximately 350 people in Pittsburgh, Butler and Philadelphia,PA; Washington, DC; and Boston, MA. The firm provides a wide range of services including Architecture, Landscape, Engineering, Interior Design, Research, Energy Management, Information Technology, and Telecommunications Consulting.

CARB is a joint venture of UMBI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.