Cold Spring Harbor Lab celebrates startup of new $75 million facility

Cold Spring Harbor, NY Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory recently celebrated the startup of its new $75 million Center for Therapeutics Research with a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

The renovation project, designed by Centerbrook Architects & Planners, completely updates the interior and exterior of Demerec, a mid-century modern laboratory that has housed four Nobel Laureates. Demerec will be home to the new Center for Therapeutics Research, which will foster advancements already underway in breast cancer, leukemia, autism, obesity/diabetes and lung cancer therapeutics.

The state invested $25 million in this project as part of gov. Cuomo’s economic development initiatives that include fostering a biotech corridor among major institutions on Long Island.

“We are at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory today, which is hallowed ground for scientific research. Eight Nobel Prizes won right here. You can almost feel when you walk onto the grounds that you’re in a special place and great things have happened here. And it’s very true,” gov. Cuomo said. “The potential that we have on Long Island in this biomedical field, biotechnology field, I think it is unprecedented.”

The original facility opened in 1953 and has already been stripped down to its original cast-in-place concrete frame. The low floor to floor heights and large window openings typical of a mid-century building, required very careful planning by Centerbrook and engineering consultant Kohler Ronan in order to provide modern mechanical systems to meet the energy code requirements and today’s research laboratory standards.

“There is an incredible research history embodied in Demerec Laboratory, and it is very exciting to honor both the building’s past and to simultaneously create cutting edge laboratories that will be at the forefront of research studies once again,” said Todd Andrews, AIA, Centerbrook principal. “The renovation creates a more open floor plan, providing expansive views to the exterior from every research space, including unobstructed views of Long Island Sound to the north.”

Centerbrook has designed more than 100 projects for CSHL since 1974 ranging from master plans to various renovations and additions of historic structures, and new construction of research laboratories, event spaces, administrative offices and housing.

Centerbrook Architects & Planners is a firm conceived in 1975 as a community of architects working together to advance American place-making and the craft of building. A collaborative firm with an exceptional history of building, Centerbrook is known for inventive design solutions that are emblematic of its client and their traditions. Centerbrook’s designs have won 378 awards, including the Architecture Firm Award, a distinction held by only 36 active firms nationwide.

Todd Andrews, AIA is a principal with Centerbrook Architects & Planners. He earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Syracuse University and has practiced at Centerbrook for over 20 years. During that time, he has designed buildings that support and enhance education, learning, research, worship and community. Todd’s current projects include Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Centers in Brooklyn, New York, and Suzho, China, and a campus master plan. Todd leads Centerbrook’s in-house design committees that focus on pedagogy and science. 

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, founded in 1890, is a preeminent international research institution, achieving breakthroughs in molecular biology and genetics and enhancing scientific knowledge worldwide. The Meetings & Courses Program hosts more than 12,000 scientists from around the world each year on its campuses in Long Island and in Suzhou, China. The Laboratory’s education arm also includes an academic publishing house, a graduate school and programs for middle and high school students and teachers, and invests $150 million of revenue annually in research and education projects on Long Island.