On October 20, UChicago was granted a permit for $9,615,953 to build a new multi-disciplinary high-bay research laboratory on the corner of East 56th Street and South Maryland Avenue.

Gerald McSwiggan, Assistant Director for Public Affairs, said “this new facility will expand the University’s capability to build large-scale scientific instrumentation and support our field-defining research in physics, astronomy and astrophysics, and other disciplines.”

“The building will consist of two parallel high bays and will be easily reconfigurable and modular as research directions evolve, allowing the University to have a resource to support emerging science and engineering projects for the next several decades.” High bays refer to the two beams that, according to the project website, will be 50 feet wide, “sized such that they will be able to handle multiple research projects at a time…Each high bay will include 30-ton and 5-ton cranes that will operate over the entire length of the building and will have a maximum hook height of 25’.”

The architect partner for the building is Architrave, Ltd. The company has remodeled the interior of UChicago’s Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology, and Human Behavior and has also worked on a range of projects for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

The construction of this facility began this fall and has a target completion date of June 2021.