FT. LAUDERDALE, FL-Moss Miller, LLC, was awarded a contract to design and build a $34 million, 86,000-square-foot research center called the Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystem Science at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center located at the entrance channel to Port Everglades, which serves Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale.

The new center will double the existing space of the current NSU Oceanographic Center which dates back to the 1970s and is severely crowded and outdated, says Richard Dodge, Ph.D., dean of the NSU Oceanographic Center.

The development of the new center was partially made possible by the US Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology, which last January awarded more than $123 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants to 11 universities and one non-profit research organization for the construction of new scientific research facilities. Of that amount, Nova Southeastern was awarded $15 million.

“These awards create jobs by helping to fund 12 major, shovel-ready construction projects,” said US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke last January.

Construction of the new center is scheduled to begin in November and completion is expected in December 2011, according to Moss Miller, a partnership between two construction companies, Moss & Associates and the Miller Construction Company. Designed to withstand coastal storm surges and hurricanes, the facility will be built to the standards of LEED silver buildings as set by the US Green Building Council.

The new center will do research on the management and conservation of the South Florida coral reefs which constitute 84% of the country’s supply of coral reefs. These reefs contribute billions of dollars to the South Florida economy, most of which are related to tourist activities. In addition, the reefs serve as habitat for fish. Roughly 25% of oceanic fish species emanate from coral reef habitats, according to Dodge.

“The Gulf oil spill only highlights the urgency of coral reef research, as coral reefs are under threat locally and globally,” says Dodge. “This disaster is but one additional stressor that may significantly affect the resiliency of the remaining coral reefs,” he says.

The five story coral reef research center is being designed by Cannon Design, a Grand Island, New York-based planning and design firm, and the South Florida-based architectural firm ACAI. The city of Hollywood, where the new center will be located, is fast-tracking the permitting process, according to Dodge.

Among the things which will be studied at the new research facility are the impact of climate, fish and pollution on coral reef ecosystems as well as how the reefs are affected by ocean and coastal hydrodynamics.

Moss Miller, LLC, has built a variety of projects for Nova Southeastern University during a six-year expansion at the university’s main campus in Davie, Florida. The projects include the Commons, a 528-student, $40 million dormitory complex, the $64 million University Center and a $22 million performing arts center.