Start 20: Microbial Sciences Laboratory
Cost: $120 million

The University of Wisconsin at Madison broke ground in December on the Microbial Sciences Building that will house three of the university's science departments.

The 330,000-gross-sq.-ft. building will rise six stories above grade and include a basement and under-building parking. The structure is stated for completion in late spring 2007.

Early Site Issues

Peter Heaslett, engineer and project manager with the university, said that the tight site and an existing electrical substation on the site have both been issues on the project thus far.

"We are putting the building up around the substation, which has to remain running throughout the project," he said.

The substation, which serves about 25 percent of the UW campus, was located in the basement of E.B. Fred Hall, which was demolished to make room for the new structure.

Heaslett reported that the upper floors of the building were torn off first and then the rest of the structure demolished to leave the substation intact and running.

"The substation is enclosed in a bunker and is mostly underground, so it is really not a safety issue on the site," he said.

Protecting the substation from dust and water was the biggest concern.

Placing filter fabric over the station's air intakes and a roof membrane above it have provided protection.

Installing shoring to protect historic buildings immediately adjacent to the site has made the project complex.

Work includes constructing the multiple laboratory spaces within the new structure, an atrium area and complicated exhaust system.

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