The 526,255 square foot design-bid-build project, which is being incrementally funded, will be developed to offer the necessary facilities to develop, test and evaluate medical treatment of chemical warfare agents. The building will also include headquarters and administrative space; Bio Safety Level 2 (BSL-2) laboratories and associated lab support areas; vivarium and vivarium support spaces; veterinary medicine, animal housing and related logistic support areas; gas, electrical and conventional utilities; and a central energy plant.

The project is expected to begin approximately three-and-a-half years from the date the Baltimore District issues Clark Construction a notice to proceed. Completion is planned for May 2013.

Aberdeen Proving Ground's Government and Technology Enterprise (GATE) project changed master developers in when Opus East reassigned its rights to St. John Properties with the Army's approval. GATE is a 413-acre private sector enclave within the 72,000-square-foot installation. The new chemical defense facility, however, is being constructed at the Edgewood area of the army base--in other words outside of GATE.

It is one of the few projects not related to BRAC underway at the facility, a spokesperson says. Currently there are several large projects either underway or about to break ground to accommodate Aberdeen's increased mission under BRAC, he says.