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to unwrap MRB in mid-December
 This
month names such as Russ Middaugh and Barbara Timmermann will be fixed
on the doors of finished spaces in KU's new $40 million Multidisciplinary
Research Building (MRB), nearing completion on the West Campus. Just before
Christmas, the shiny bow will come off, the doors will open and researchers
will start moving into KU's newest research building. Formal dedication
of the MRB will take place during the spring semester.
"The MRB is designed to encourage collaborative research," said
Jim Roberts, vice provost for research. "It's flexible space that
we can adapt to meet the changing needs of researchers over time. In most
campus buildings, faculty have to adapt to the space. Here it's the other
way around."
Among the initial occupants of the MRB will be the KU Bioinformatics Program
and components of bioanalytical chemistry, drug discovery, stable isotope
geology and nanoscience. Ultimately, about 200 people will use the 106,000-square-foot
MRB at any time, including 20 faculty, nearly 170 students and post-docs,
and a core technical support staff.
Laboratory spaces on the outside of the building wrap around a shared
core of research equipment and facilities, including bio-safety level
3 labs, a mass spectrometry lab and "clean" rooms.
While the building is efficient and functional, it's also beautiful. The
front of the MRB is a curtain of dark, energy-efficient glass. Behind
it is a dramatic stairway that connects all three floors. Groups that
have toured the building this fall – including the Kansas State
Board of Regents in September and a group of KUCR staff in October –
commented on the scenic views of the West Campus from the large windows
that bring light into the lab and office spaces.
The MRB is attractive in more ways than one. "Modern, well-equipped
research space helps us recruit top people to KU," Roberts said.
"Several of the people who will occupy the MRB this year are here
primarily because we were able to promise them this kind of facility."
Everything about the MRB has been done quickly: the decision to build,
the design process, approval by the state, the selling of taxable bonds
and the actual construction by J.E. Dunn. This "fast-track"
approach was possible because no state funds are involved. Debt service
on the bonds – about $3.8 million per year – will be paid
by the KU Center for Research (KUCR), using the indirect cost reimbursement
generated by KU research grants.
The quick construction of the MRB helps address KU's critical need for
research space in Lawrence. The completion date – Dec. 15 –
also enables KU to include the investment in next year's Facilities and
Administration (F&A) indirect cost reimbursement rate negotiations
with the federal government.
The MRB is part of a planned, multiyear expansion of KU's research facilities
on the West Campus. The Structural Biology Center (SBC), completed in
2004, is nearby, as is the Higuchi Biosciences Center. An additional phase
of the SBC is planned for this area, along with one or two other buildings
comparable in size to the MRB.
Story by KU University Relations
Higuchi
Biosciences Center
University of Kansas
2099 Constant Avenue
Lawrence, KS 66047-2535
785-864-5183
hbc@ku.edu
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