Van Andel Research Institute Core Technologies and Services Center

Ellenzweig collaborated with the Van Andel Research Institute in an initiative to enhance the Institute’s research and technical training capabilities by centralizing its core laboratory functions in a single location. The phased project commenced with the fit-out of 10,700 gsf of existing space to house core labs and offices (completed in 2019) and continued with fit-out of an additional 8,800 gsf, completed in 2020. Core laboratories included in the project are Genomics and Flow Cytometry, Optical Core and Confocal Imaging Suite, Cryo-Electron Microscopy Prep, Histology, Pathology and Bio-repository, Bio-Specimen labs, Mass Spectrometry, and Bioinformatics and Biostatistics.

Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Van Andel Research Institute is a division of the Van Andel Institute, an independent biomedical research and science education organization committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations. The Institute’s scientists work in on-site laboratories and participate in collaborative partnerships that span the globe.

The new space provides an inviting, collaborative, cross-disciplinary environment where specialists work with the researchers to pursue investigative procedures, methods, validations, and optimization techniques to solve problems utilizing expertise in a variety of scientific disciplines. The space includes a training center for interaction between the core lab specialists and research scientists who need to use specialized software or equipment, and a variety of meeting spaces ranging from enclosed conference rooms to open informal seating areas, all equipped with options for collaboration using audio-visual media systems.

Individual offices all have views to the outdoors and access to daylight via glass wall systems. A sculptural acoustical ceiling in the adjacent open office area creates a soft, collaborative space, while LED pendant light fixtures, equipped with daylight dimming technology, illuminate the ceiling and contribute to an uplifting environment.