Brasfield & Gorrie Tops Out New Life Sciences Facility

September 16, 2022

Construction workers gathered under a tent for a celebration

Brasfield & Gorrie recently celebrated the topping out of the HudsonAlpha Discovery Life Sciences building. Topping out marks a structure reaching its full height. Construction on the lab and office building is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2023.

“HudsonAlpha is actively advancing science, not only for the benefit of our local communities, but for the world. It’s an honor to support their research as we build specialized facilities that will house these efforts,” said Brasfield & Gorrie Operations Manager Sara Beth Wilcox.

The building will house Discovery Life Sciences, which conducts life science research and is currently located in a smaller space on the campus of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The 95,000 sq ft lab and office building included prefabricated exterior walls, which are a HudsonAlpha campus standard. Prefabricated materials are constructed off-site in a controlled environment, which increases safety and control of scheduling.

“Our new state-of-the-art global headquarters will allow us to consolidate all of our laboratories and operations into one truly spectacular building to achieve greater operational efficiencies and expand our capabilities more rapidly,” said Discovery CEO Glenn Bilawsky. “We believe that the beauty and elegance of this structure will reflect the quality, excellence and innovation on which we pride ourselves as a company.”

HudsonAlpha Vice President of Economic Development Carter Wells said, “Our Biotech Campus expansion advances HudsonAlpha’s strategic goals of generating economic impact and job growth, groundbreaking genomic research in human health and agriculture, and training the future biotech workforce. The return on investments made by HudsonAlpha, the state of Alabama, local governments and so many individuals will be seen for years to come. We are grateful for the continuing support of HudsonAlpha’s efforts.”

This is Brasfield & Gorrie’s third project with HudsonAlpha. Past work includes the recently opened 13,000 square feet of research laboratories and greenhouse space, which is used to propagate and grow research plants, improve existing crops, and develop new uses for plants. Additionally, there are educational learning laboratories to inspire and train students as they become the next generation of plant scientists. While much of the work in this new facility will be for the nonprofit research laboratories, agriculture companies will also rent space and collaborate with HudsonAlpha’s research groups.

Brasfield & Gorrie has worked in the Huntsville market for more than 40 years and established a local office in 2012. The company’s work in North Alabama spans a variety of market sectors, including commercial, aerospace, government, healthcare, industrial, and mission critical. Notable projects include NASA Test Stands, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Paul Propst Center for Precision Medicine, Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, Bryant Bank, Crestwood Medical Center’s renovation work for repeat client Community Health Systems, and ADTRAN Tenant Improvement renovations. The company also offers expertise in science and technology construction, having completed more than $668 million projects accounting for 3.8 million sq ft in this market sector.