A New Era for Neuroscience: Inside Washington University’s State-of-the-Art Research Hub
The state-of-the-art facility will initially house approximately 100 teams comprising 875 researchers, including experts in neurology, neuroscience, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and anesthesiology. Image: Courtesy of Washington University School of Medicine
The newly dedicated Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building at Washington University School of Medicine represents a transformative investment in the future of neuroscience. This 609,000-square-foot, 11-story facility consolidates the university’s renowned research programs in neurology, psychiatry, and neuroscience, fostering collaboration and innovation. As one of the world’s largest buildings dedicated exclusively to neuroscience research, it brings together 120 research teams that were previously spread across 16 locations. The facility also strengthens connections between academia and industry, sitting within the Cortex Innovation District, a hub for biotechnology startups and commercialization.
The building’s dedication on January 18, 2024, drew scientists, university leaders, and state officials to celebrate its mission. Funded by a $616 million investment, the facility was named in honor of Jeffrey T. Fort, a longtime supporter of the university. The event featured remarks from key figures, including Chancellor Andrew D. Martin and Dean David H. Perlmutter, MD, who emphasized the building’s role in advancing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders, and brain injuries. Designed to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, the building is expected to accelerate breakthroughs in neuroscience, with the potential to shape not only scientific discovery but also economic growth in St. Louis and beyond.
Lab Design News spoke about this project with Mariah Harris, director, space programming; Steven Sobo, executive director, strategic projects; David Lott, executive director of research facilities; and Stephanie Maples, project manager, planning, all part of the core team at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine.
Q: How did you gather and incorporate feedback from lab users during the design phase of the Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building? Can you provide examples of specific user-driven changes?
Mariah Harris: During the design phase, the project team met with lab representatives to review the basis of the design, discuss their specific research space needs, and incorporate specialty requests as approved by leadership. A specific user-driven change was incorporating a neuro-fabrication facility in the building. The facility provides cutting-edge technical services, including tool development, design, engineering, testing, training, and prototyping of hardware and software for neuroscience applications.
Q: What specific design elements were incorporated to foster collaboration among the 120 research teams housed within the building?
Mariah Harris: The project vision was to provide a space that fosters engagement and collaboration, stimulates innovation, and promotes interdisciplinary research for revolution in brain science. Examples of design elements to encourage collaboration include but are not limited to:
A large lobby to host scientific symposiums.
An auditorium to host lecturers who share scientific findings across disciplines.
Large and small meeting spaces.
A coffee bar/food service.
Building-wide shared research support spaces such as a neuro fabrication facility and imaging facilities.
Informal break-out spaces and lounges adjacent to the labs to encourage spontaneous discussions and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Lastly, the scientific teams are organized in neighborhoods within an open laboratory setting, which is the primary design element that promotes engagement and collaboration.
Q: In what ways has the building been designed to accommodate and adapt to future advancements in neuroscience technology and research methodologies?
Mariah Harris: Designing a building to accommodate and adapt to future advancements in neuroscience technology and research methodologies requires foresight, flexibility, and an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. Here are some key elements:
Moveable, adaptable lab benches and furniture that can be quickly rearranged to accommodate different experiments or group sizes.
Modular design and flexibility of support spaces to allow for easy re-purposing of spaces
Advanced networking capabilities.
Integration of smart building systems to control lighting, temperature, and security that can adapt to specific ongoing research requirements.
Inclusion of various meeting spaces equipped with the latest AV technology for virtual presentations and meetings.
Inclusion of specialized biological research facilities such as isolated rooms with dedicated climate and contamination controls.
Unfinished shell space that can be developed as new research requirements emerge.
Q: What sustainability features were integrated into the building's design, and how do they contribute to long-term operational efficiency?
Steven Sobo: Energy-saving features in the Fort Labs include high-efficiency chillers and cooling towers, a simultaneous heat recovery chiller, runaround loop energy recovery, airflow setbacks during inoccupation, ventilated cage racks to reduce vivarium airflow, energy-efficient laboratory equipment and elevators, high-performance envelope, high-efficiency ultra-low-temperature freezers, 100 percent LED lights, and optimized lighting controls.
Sustainable elements of the Fort Labs’ urban character/design:
The building is located on a brownfield site. The project included soil contamination remediation.
The site is proximate to public transportation and benefits urbanization by bringing density to a previously undeveloped site.
The building is designed to facilitate access by foot and bicycle. It includes over 100 covered bicycle spaces and showers for building occupants who might run or bike to work. The site will connect to a municipal greenway (when constructed in the next few years.)
Wide sidewalks (10 to 12 feet) around the building abut planted landscapes.
The building is adjacent to a garage with 36 electric vehicle chargers.
Exterior lighting is down-lit. This reduces light lost to the sky and accommodates dark sky objectives.
The landscape design’s use of native plantings eliminates the need for irrigation once the plants are established.
The urban nature of the site and its environs means that a district-scale stormwater management strategy is most effective. Run-off from the NRB will be accomplished through bio-retention basins at the west edge of the project site (key to the district project designation).
Sustainable elements of the Fort Labs’ architecture:
The building has a light-colored roof and pavement materials that work to mitigate the site’s potential heat island effect
Indoor water use is limited by installing all low-flow fixtures, designing the cooling tower, and specifying high-performance laboratory equipment.
Submetering of water and energy end-use ensures the ability to track utility use and use that data to monitor or advance conservation.
Progressive refrigerants (R-407A and R-514a) are used in the NRB to reduce the potential for ozone depletion and global warming from refrigerant leaks and eventual equipment decommissioning.
Building materials are primarily documented as verified improved carbon life-cycle products, responsibly sourced, documented for ingredient transparency and low-emitting properties.
The building’s CO2 monitoring and ventilation controls will optimize cognitive performance.
The project lighting has a high color rendering index.
The building’s architectural design includes measures that provide acoustical privacy and optimized reverberation time (acoustical quality).
The project secured permission from USGBC to innovate in procuring sterilization equipment provided for LEED for Healthcare and not in LEED v4 and v4.1 (which is the structure for this project). This first-of-its-kind approval brings the wisdom of one USGBC structure to the other to decrease energy and water use associated with sterilization.
Sustainable elements of the Fort Labs’ design and construction process:
The building included enhanced and envelope commissioning.
The construction waste diverted from landfills for the project was 61 percent or 3,900 tons.
Thirty-two percent of the total project material, by cost, was purchased from manufacturers that follow responsible sourcing and extraction criteria.
The project performed a full building flush-out to improve the indoor air quality, removing dust, ozone, and other contaminants harmful to human health. The flush-out began during construction and was completed after occupancy to treat VOCs and off-gassing from interior finishes and furniture.
Sustainable elements of the Fort Labs’ operations plan:
While the university has a green labs program, the Fort Labs catalyzes its expansion and will be the physical home to the green labs staff.
Facility move-in from existing locations on campus was coordinated to reduce wasteful use of packing materials.
The building will be maintained with green cleaning products.
The landscape and building will be maintained using an integrated pest management approach.
Q: Can you discuss the infrastructure supporting cutting-edge research, such as advanced imaging facilities, data centers, or specialized laboratories?
David Lott: Fort Labs is a state-of-the-art neuroscience research facility designed with key infrastructure features that foster groundbreaking discoveries. The building’s reinforced concrete structure ensures the stiffness and vibration dampening required for advanced imaging and microscopy, which is critical to neuroscience research. Its modular design incorporates overhead spines for utilities and gases, allowing labs to be easily reconfigured to accommodate evolving scientific needs.
Data capabilities are equally advanced, with 1TB data lines integrated throughout the building and a dedicated data center across the street. This ensures seamless handling of large datasets essential for computational neuroscience and imaging research.
Specialized spaces include a freezer farm and biorepository for secure sample storage, fish facilities, and animal housing equipped with individually ventilated cabinets and auto-watering systems. The wet lab facilities are strategically placed near behavior analysis and surgical suites to optimize workflows and enhance research efficiency.
By combining modular adaptability, rigorous engineering standards, and cutting-edge utilities, Fort Labs provides an unparalleled environment in size and complexity for neuroscience innovation.
Q: What optimization strategies are planned for the coming years to ensure the building continues to meet the evolving needs of its users and the broader neuroscience community, without undertaking a major renovation or halting research?
David Lott: Optimization strategies focus on adaptability and efficiency to ensure Fort Labs continues to meet the evolving needs of its users and the broader neuroscience community. The building operates on an interdepartmental theme, with space usage designed around functions rather than specific occupants. This approach fosters collaboration and maximizes flexibility. A key feature is using a "kit of parts" for lab casework and office furniture paired with modular room sizing. This plug-and-play model allows spaces to be quickly reconfigured to support diverse research models without requiring significant renovations or disrupting ongoing work.
By compartmentalizing lab support functions, the building can seamlessly adapt to shifting research priorities while maintaining efficiency and productivity.
This forward-thinking strategy ensures that Fort Labs remains a cutting-edge facility responsive to the dynamic needs of neuroscience research.
Q: How does the building's design allow for flexibility in reconfiguring lab spaces to align with emerging research trends and interdisciplinary projects?
Mariah Harris: Designing a building for flexibility in reconfiguring lab spaces to align with emerging research trends and interdisciplinary projects involves several strategic architectural and infrastructural choices. Here are some key elements that contribute to this flexibility:
Implementation of flexible utility hookups such as overhead service carriers, floor outlets, and plug-and-play connections for gas, electricity, water, and data. This enables quick reconfiguration of lab setups without extensive renovations.
Mobile lab benches that can easily be reconfigured to suit different projects or team sizes.
Open-plan lab spaces instead of compartmentalized rooms promote collaboration and can be sectioned off or reconfigured with minimal disruption as needs evolve.
Shared core facilities such as imaging, cleanrooms, and specialized equipment hubs, reducing the need for redundant setups in individual labs.
Spaces that can be converted between different functions, such as a huddle room that can become an office (sized the same).
Use glass walls or large windows between labs and adjacent collaboration spaces to enhance visibility and interaction while maintaining an open feel.
Incorporation of energy-efficient designs and sustainable materials to minimize the environmental impact.
Q: What role does the building play in advancing St. Louis' position as a neuroscience research hub, and how is it expected to impact the local economy and community?
Mariah Harris: The building serves as a central hub for neuroscience research, bringing together researchers from various disciplines to collaborate on projects related to Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, spinal cord injuries, and psychiatric illnesses, which could lead to breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment.
The building's design facilitates interaction between researchers from different disciplines, promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration and accelerating the pace of scientific discovery.
By providing state-of-the-art facilities, the building attracts top talent in neuroscience, further enhancing the reputation of WashU Medicine and St. Louis as a center for neurological research.
Research conducted within the building has the potential to translate into new therapies and technologies, which could be commercialized by local companies, generating economic growth and job opportunities in the biotechnology sector. This research can directly benefit the St. Louis community by leading to improved treatments for neurological disorders impacting residents.
“I see this building as the ultimate statement of our school, our university, our city, our state — that here in this place, in St. Louis, at the Gateway to the West, the most important advances in understanding the brain will happen,” David H. Perlmutter, MD, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of Washington University School of Medicine, told the gathering [at the facility’s opening ceremony].
Q: How were safety and accessibility considerations integrated into the building’s design, particularly for handling advanced neuroscience equipment and sensitive experiments?
David Lott: Safety and accessibility were integral to Fort Labs’ design, ensuring research integrity, occupant ease of access, and animal welfare while addressing the unique challenges these priorities present.
Animal spaces are secured with a specialized badging system and multiple layers of access control to protect sensitive neuroscience experiments and uphold animal welfare. Badge requirements are enforced at key entry points, and CCTV cameras provide a comprehensive record of access to the building and sensitive spaces. Dedicated protective services staff further enhance security.
Safety is bolstered through coordinated emergency response procedures and regular mock event training. A dedicated Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) liaison also ensures compliance with safety standards for chemical storage, fume hood usage, and other wet lab activities.
Research areas are strategically grouped to streamline access while maintaining secure and compliant environments. Communal and connecting spaces are thoughtfully designed to foster collaboration without compromising safety. This comprehensive approach ensures Fort Labs continues to provide a safe, accessible, and innovative environment for neuroscience research.
The project team includes:
Construction Firm: McCarthy Construction
AE Design Firm: CannonDesign and Perkins&Will
LEED, Energy Modeling & Sustainability: AEI
Direct Contract Professional Services:
Streets Engineer/Planner: Lochmueller/Civitas
MEP Steamline: Bernhard TME
MEP Boiler: Rogers Schmidt
Geotechnical and Special Inspections: Geotechnology
Civil Engineer: Stock
Commissioning/Enhanced: R&B
Exterior Envelope Commissioning: WJE
Structural Peer Review: OES
MEP Pier Review: McClure
MOOG Relocation: McClure
Sustainability: AEI
Roof Consultant: Modern Roof Consultants
Signage: Arcturis
Vibration Monitoring: McClure
Fume Hood Certification: Ace
Environmental Assessment: Environmental Operations
Asbestos Testing/Monitoring: Farmer
Subconsultants:
MEP: CannonDesign/AEI
Technology: Faith Group
Materials Management: Lerch Bates Wind Engineering—RWDI
Traffic Consultant: Lochmueller
Civil Engineer: Stock
Vibration & Acoustic: Colin Gordon
Elevator: KH Lemp
Exterior Enclosure: Burro Happold
Equipment Planning: Internal with support from Cannon Design
Wind Tunnel: RWDI
Code ADA: CCI
Landscape: SWT
Animation/Video: Tiltpixel
Lighting: CannonDesign
MRI Shielding: ETS Lindgren
Parking: Walker
Programming & Vivarium Planning: Jacobs
