New laboratory will boost preparedness for future public health crises and retain top-tier scientists at the nation’s largest state public health laboratory.
A joint venture of Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company in association with HOK has been awarded an initial contract to advance the creation of a state-of-the-art public health laboratory on the Harriman State Office Campus Complex in Albany. New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement of the team’s selection is an important step forward for the new laboratory, which will serve New York State’s public health needs.
“Gilbane is honored to team with Turner and HOK to advance New York’s public health preparedness,” said John LaRow, senior vice president, of Gilbane. “We look forward to working with our team of building and design experts and partnering with the Hochul administration to deliver the state-of-the-art public health facility that New York deserves.”
“It is an honor to partner with the State of New York as well as Gilbane, HOK, and the trade partners on this world-class facility that will help protect and improve the health of the people of New York,” said Carl Stewart III, vice president and general manager of Turner. “It is so incredibly rewarding to collaborate on a project enhancing New York’s capabilities to efficiently and effectively prepare for and respond to public health matters.”
“HOK is excited to team with Gilbane | Turner and the New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center on this critical project for all New Yorkers,” said David Schwartz, AIA, HOK’s leader of Science + Technology in New York. “The Wadsworth Laboratory has been at the forefront of public health since its inception. This is a significant opportunity to redefine the future of public health for both New York and the country.”
Gilbane | Turner and HOK have been selected for the design and construction of a new Wadsworth Laboratory that will consolidate operations currently spread out across several Capital Region facilities. The contract will be made up of several phases. This initial investment will explore options for a new basis of design, ranging from partial to full consolidation of Wadsworth facilities. A primary goal is to enhance the State’s readiness to effectively respond to potential future public health crises.
The Wadsworth Laboratory, which played a central role in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, focuses on a wide range of critical public health concerns, including responding to public health threats, studying emerging infections, analyzing environmental exposures, and licensing clinical and environmental laboratories, among many other critical responsibilities. Since its origin developing treatments for communicable diseases in 1901 and the development of the Division of Laboratories and Research in 1914, the Wadsworth Center has grown to become the largest and most diverse state public health laboratory in the United States.
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