BU Gets Federal Approval for 194,000-SF High Security Lab

The funding was awarded to BUMC in September 2003 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the NIH. The federal approval was the last of a long list of city and federal approvals necessary before construction could begin. The laboratory, one of two to be built nationwide, is part of the Bush administration's plans to prepare for potential acts of bioterrorism.

Medical center administrators say construction on the high security laboratory will begin this month with completion slated for the summer of 2008. "It will be a very important laboratory, part of a national network to study infectious diseases," a spokesperson for BU tells GlobeSt.com. "We think we can ultimately find cures and save lives."

The facility is designed by CUH2A, an international architectural firm headquartered in Princeton, NJ. The self-contained building will also have its own air and power supply, filtration system and waste disposal systems, each backed up by a second similar system.