- Project Type: Sporting / Concert Arena
- Size: 450,000 sq. ft. - Phase One
- Tons of Steel: 3,245 tons
- Architect: Payette Associates
- General Contractor: Whiting-Turner
- Project Engineer: Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger Inc.
- $176 million
- Two wings joined by an atrium and central courtyard
- Six floors of laboratories
- 140-seat auditorium
- State-of-the-art teaching space
- March 2003 move-in date
The Congress Avenue Building is the first of several in a 10-year, $500 million expansion plan. The MRC laboratory will be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the United States.
Included in the facilities will be 221,000 square feet of wet-bench laboratory, lab-support and research-office space, increasing lab space at the medical school by 25 percent.
In the 1940's, researchers at Yale University were responsible for isolating the poliovirus, and laying the groundwork for the development of a vaccine.
A New Vision for a Venerable School
Yale University's new Congress Avenue Building represents the first step in a $500 million plan to expand and modernize the campus' medical research facilities. When announcing the new project, Yale President Richard C. Levin declared the building to be, "the largest single investment in a facility in Yale's history".
The responsibility for putting a vision into this historic investment went to Boston architectural firm Payette Associates. With an entire city block to work with, they created a plan for the building that consisted of two wings, which fold around an enclosed atrium at one end, and open-air courtyard at the other.
The three main elements of the building contain a total of 450,000 square feet, and vary in height from two floors to six. A primary concern for the architect was ensuring that the building could meet the demands of its many different users. The multi-purpose building was therefore designed with a wide range of functional spaces.
In addition to faculty offices and seminar rooms, the building will include research laboratories, facilities for genomics and magnetic resonance imaging, state-of-the-art teaching space, and a 140-seat auditorium.
Building Relationships
Whiting-Turner, was an easy choice for construction manager of the complex facility. Over the years they had built a strong relationship with Yale, having developed numerous other successful projects for the university.
It was Whiting-Turner that brought Supermetal into the Yale project. We had previously worked with them on other prestigious projects throughout the Northeastern United States, such as Sun Microsystems and Oracle's new corporate offices - both in Burlington, MA.
We were tasked with fabricating all structural steel for the Congress Avenue Building, and providing consultation during the structure's erection. With 450,000 square feet of diverse spaces, the project required 3245 tons of steel, with a wide range of sizes and lengths, all coated for fire resistance.
The construction site, while very large, was immediately bordered on all sides by busy streets, and gave limited space for construction materials and equipment. A steel and glass bridge was also constructed over Congress Avenue - creating a pedestrian link between the new building and the existing Lauder Hall.