Phase II Building Expansion

Construction Photo: September 5, 2008 

On May 17, 2005, in celebration of the Van Andel Institute facility’s fifth anniversary, Van Andel Institute (VAI) Chairman and CEO David Van Andel announced plans for Phase II, an expansion of the Institute's medical research and education facility.

Phase II Video
Photos from Groundbreaking Ceremony
Groundbreaking Ceremony Highlights Video
(Videos require at least Windows Media Player  installed.)

Numbers / Facts

• Cost: $170 million; financing will come through private funds and bond issuance
• Size: 240,000 square-feet; eight stories high - lab space will triple
• Operating Capacity: expansion will ultimately support an operation in excess of $125 million annually
• Staff: operating at capacity, VAI expects to employ approximately 800 people (approximately 550 new jobs)
• Location: directly to the west of the existing facility fronting North Division Avenue and bordering Crescent Street

Timeline

• Approved by Grand Rapids Planning Commission: October 2006
• Site Preparation: Spring 2006
• Groundbreaking: April 12, 2007
• Completion: late 2009

Opportunities

• New home for VAI Graduate School
• Space will also be utilized by students of the new regional medical school, Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine
• Expansion will allow VAI to broaden its research focus to include other neurological disorders and chronic illnesses

Design / Details (some details also apply to Phase I elements)

• The facade of the addition will mimic the cascading roofs and windows of the current VAI building, evoking the Grand River that runs through the heart of the city
• Day-lit open laboratories offer the highest quality environment for scientists. The skylight roof over the open laboratory space is a unique configuration for a research facility.
• Modular pre-fabricated laboratory casework, 18-foot floor-to-floor height, and segregated office, copy and break areas allow for space usage flexibility and performance of maintenance / operational tasks without interruption of research - both of which contribute to safety of employees. 
• Basic laboratory components on each floor include autoclave rooms, environmental rooms, spaces for microscopy and tissue culture, and unassigned research space to be fit out at a later date as new scientific users join the Institute.
• With the 325-seat Tomatis Auditorium and the Cook-Hauenstein Hall in Phase I, and a 90-seat conference center and a 100-seat cafeteria planned for Phase II, the Institute will be capable of hosting a major scientific research conference. In addition, several meeting rooms per floor also accommodate daily researcher and staff interaction needs.