Moss & Associates Completes $135 Million Biosciences Project For University Of Miami

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 05, 2009 – Moss & Associates, one of Florida’s largest construction services companies, has completed a multifaceted $135 million project for the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine that includes a new 10-story biosciences research laboratory, a massive central energy plant and 1,400-space parking garage in Miami.

The centerpiece is the 178,263-square-foot Biomedical Research Building for the Miami Institute for Human Genomics, led by acclaimed geneticists Margaret Pericak-Vance, Ph.D. and Jeffery Vance, M.D., Ph.D.; and the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, directed by Joshua Hare, M.D.

“As the new home for two renowned academic research programs, this facility will be a key anchor for the growth and sustainability of South Florida’s life sciences sector,” said Bob Moss, president and CEO, Moss & Associates.

Considered to be one of the most technically challenging, complex and advanced research centers in Florida, the building was designed by Karlsberger.  It incorporates under one roof all critical components typically found in leading research campuses: a Class 10,000 cGMP manufacturing laboratory, BSL 2 wet labs, vivariums, an imaging suite and faculty offices.

Moss is pursuing a Silver level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the facility, whose energy-saving features include a single-ply reflective rubber roof, an air-conditioning condensate recycling system and “daylight harvesting” of sunlight.  The building meets stringent federal research standards such as separate, dedicated laboratory air systems.

Supporting the new Biomedical Research Building is a 10-story, 551,000-square-foot parking structure and a 26,000-square-foot, 14-megawatt central energy plant – the second largest in South Florida – that will provide backup power for the new facility and future campus buildings. Theodore Roux of Miami designed both components. Under a separate contract, Moss also is constructing a campus-wide underground chilled water distribution piping and utility service network.

“Moss kept this key project on track, from coordinating multiple design teams to managing complex utility connections, in a dense, high-traffic urban environment,” said Rich Jones, associate vice president of facilities design and construction, University of Miami.  “They managed a 250-person labor force, while maintaining a safe environment and keeping adjacent hospitals and businesses in full operation.”  

Fort Lauderdale-based Moss & Associates is a privately held construction company ranked among the nation’s top 100 building contractors.  Members of the Moss leadership team have worked closely with University of Miami on over $260 million of projects.  From headquarters in Fort Lauderdale and regional offices in Miami, Tampa and Ocala, the firm provides design-build, general construction, construction management and preconstruction services for commercial, residential and institutional facilities developed throughout the United States and Bahamas.  For more information, visit www.mosscm.com.