Durham Research Center facts

Floors: 10-levels, including two below ground

Total square footage: 289,000 gross square feet

Cost: $77 million – all from private funds. No state tax dollars are being used in the construction. State funding will be requested for operating and maintenance expenses.

Location: UNMC campus, 45th Street and Dewey Avenue and Emile Street (on the former site of the University Geriatric Center).

Expected completion: September 2003

Building highlights: The research center will feature 116 research laboratories, a 319-seat auditorium, three classrooms and 12 conference/seminar rooms. The main level will include the auditorium, classrooms, computer laboratory and public spaces. The research areas will feature state-of-the-art laboratories and associated support services.

The research building is a cast-in-place concrete facility. As opposed to steel buildings, cast-in-place buildings are quieter and also designed to reduce traffic and other vibration to levels tolerable to research.

Research benefits: The research facility will create a research mall on the west end of the UNMC campus and enable UNMC to enhance its research in a number of areas including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurosciences, transplantation biology, genetics and eye research.

Named areas of the building: Various floors and areas of the building will be named in honor of the primary donors including: the Peter Kiewit Foundation Transplant Biology Research Laboratories, Scott Education Center (Suzanne and Walter Scott Jr.), the Scott Neuroscience Research Laboratories (Ruth and Bill Scott), Cardiovascular Research Laboratories, Truhlsen Eye Research Laboratories, Yanney Seminar Center, and the Criss Foundation Seminar Center.

Other interesting facts:
An estimated 23,000 cubic yards of concrete will be required for the structure — enough concrete to pave approximately 25 football fields.

There also will be:

  • 30,000 cubic yards of excavation
  • 1,300 tons of resteel
  • 335,000 square feet of formwork — almost 8 acres
  • 29,000 square feet of architectural precast
  • 800 doors
  • 66,000 square feet of glass – more than 1.5 acres

Architects: HDR Architecture Inc.

Contractors: Hawkins Construction Co., Omaha