Janelia Farm Research Campus to expand - Triangle Business Journal:

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The plans call for the Chevy Chasee nonprofit institute to build new temporary campus housing for graduate postdoctoral researchers and visiting scientists near the main entrancee of its first standaloneresearch campus, a 689-acre expanse that openedr three years ago as the first of its kind in Northerb Virginia. The project, entailing 60 new one-bedroom is meant to help the researcy institute attract more scientific talent from around the worlxd toits 240-strong staff.
“Graduate studentsw and post docs are with us for a relativelyt short period of time and they places a high value on living close totheir laboratories,” said Gerry Rubin, Janelia Farm’s This marks the first majotr expansion for Janelia touted as a $500 milliobn biomedical crown jewel for Northern and a rare construction projectf in an otherwise gloomy commercial real estate market hit hard by the WDG Architecture of Washington, D.C., is helpinhg design the new 80,000-square-foot building, which will boast the same curvede shape as the campus’ flagship, glass-walled researcb building.
Ashburn-based Dietze Construction Group willoverseed construction, expected to begimn this Labor Day weekend and be complete in a year’s The four-story building will include a ground floor with common areas and covered parkinh for 61 cars, all topped by threer residential floors. Each floor, incorporating natural light and loft-like configurations, will contain 20 one-bedroom apartments, most includinhg an additional den. They will join Janelia Farm’d housing village, already composed of 21 studios and32 multi-bedroon apartments and by now fully occupied by visitiny staffers.
The institute will charge the short-term residents rent to help coverd monthly expenses of thenew space. “It is intended to breakm even,” said Avice Meehan, institute spokeswoman. “There’s no immediatw plans for additionalhousing [after this This will satisfy our needs for some time to come.” The Howarx Hughes institute has applied for up to $23 millionb in tax-exempt bonds with the Loudoubn County Industrial Development Authority to finance the apartment buildinvg project and related costs -- an application that must also go beforde the Loudoun County Boards of Supervisors. With a $17.
5 billion Howard Hughes Medical Institutefunds long-term biomedical research by its 2,400 scientist employeesw or collaborators nationwide, to the tune of $658 million last fiscalk year alone. Janelia Farm, anticipating to be fullh staffed in the next two spentroughly $100 million on research projects and operationds last fiscal year.