The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) won the “Best Project, Government/Public Building” award from Engineering News-Record (ENR) Midwest. The NBAF construction project is one of 15 projects out of 63 submissions to earn a “Best Project” designation which signifies outstanding quality of work, innovative ideas and significant challenges overcome.
“With NBAF, S&T built the first advanced biocontainment laboratory of its kind in the United States, dedicated to research on diseases threatening both the animal agricultural industry and public health,” said Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology. “The work completed at this new lab will include everything from researching and developing vaccines, performing diagnostic testing, and training researchers and veterinarians to recognize the clinical signs of foreign animal diseases in livestock.”
NBAF is the first facility in the United States with maximum biocontainment lab space for large animals and development of vaccines and diagnostics for high-consequence animal diseases—including those threatening human health. S&T designed this lab sustainably, making it the first and only large scale federal biocontainment laboratory facility in the U.S. to achieve LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
“ENR is widely respected in the construction industry and this award means a lot for our team,” said Timothy Barr, NBAF Program Manager. “The collaboration of S&T’s oversight staff with our construction and design partners resulted in a state-of-the-art facility that meets current and future mission needs. We had some challenges along the way, including COVID-19, yet we completed construction below budget.”
McCarthy/Mortenson, a joint venture, provided construction management services. Design services were provided by the entity NBAF Design Partnership, which comprised of Affiliated Engineers, Inc., Flad Architects, Perkins & Will, Merrick & Company and WSP.
While S&T led construction, design, and the commissioning of NBAF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will own, manage, and operate the 700,000 square foot facility, which will ultimately replace the S&T Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York. USDA hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony in May 2023 at the NBAF site in Manhattan, Kansas, celebrating the completion of construction and commissioning for the $1.25 billion facility.
