VNR: Milestone brings UH's Life Sciences building closer to completion

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Dan Meisenzahl, (808) 348-4936
UH Spokesman, Director, UH Communications
Posted: Mar 4, 2019

LINK TO VIDEO AND SOUND:  https://bit.ly/2XDVVo5

What: Beam signing event marking the final beam placed in the steel frame of UH Mānoa Life Sciences building, the most significant capital project on the Mānoa campus for instructional and research spaces in more than 10 years.

Where:  University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (East-West Road next to Kennedy Theatre).

How: The state Legislature appropriated approximately $50 million after the Life Sciences building was identified as the biggest need on campus.

Why:  To provide modern facilities that advance 21st century teaching, education and research through multi-disciplinary shared spaces that inspire learning and advancement and will replace Snyder Hall.

Other facts:

  • It’s the university’s first design-build project—an integrated delivery process that maintains a single contract for both the design and construction of the project with a fixed cost.

  • The university now uses the design-build project strategy whenever possible, because design-build projects are more likely to be completed on time and with fewer cost overruns than the typical design-bid-build process.

  • The 45,000-square-foot building will include teaching and research laboratories, laboratory support spaces and office spaces for the College of Natural Sciences biology, microbiology and botany departments, along with the Pacific Biosciences Research Center, which operates the state’s only transmission electron microscope.

  • The facility will serve 1,000 students weekly and house more than 80 faculty members and graduate students.

  • Completion estimated in spring 2020.

 

BROLL (1 minute, 45 seconds):

0:00-0:38, 7 clips: signing the beam

0:38-0:52, 2 clips: blessing the beam

0:52-0:57: group shot of participants

0:57-1:29, 5 clips: the beam lifted by crane into the building

1:29-1:45, 4 clips: renderings of the Life Sciences building

 

SOUNDBITES:

Katlyn An - College of Natural Sciences biochemistry student  (8 seconds)

“It’s gonna be really cool to be able to study in this building, maybe like years later come  back and be like, wow, there’s my signature on the beam.”

David Lassner - UH President (10 seconds)

“It’ll be the home of some of our most amazing research and education in the life sciences where we really stake out a leadership position globally.”