RICHLAND, Wash. – The Wine Science Center Development Authority has selected three design-build teams to compete for the contract to design and construct a research and teaching facility at Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland.
The finalist firms were chosen as the most responsive finalists to the request for qualifications issued in early January. They are Lydig Construction Co. with ALSC Architects, of Spokane; Hoffman Construction with Olson Kundig Architects, of Seattle and BNBuilders with Mithun, of Seattle.
Each partnership has been invited to submit formal and innovative design and construction ideas and cost proposals to construct the approximately 35,000-square-foot Wine Science Center.
The design-builder will be chosen in late April, with design work to begin immediately. Construction is expected to begin in late September, with the building completed in fall 2014. The site is at the corner of George Washington Way and University Drive in Richland.
The center is to be a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) facility that includes key state-of-the-art research laboratories, a research and teaching winery, a regional and international wine library, classrooms and conference rooms — all connecting WSU’s viticulture and enology faculty and students with industry and research partners worldwide.
The development authority is a unique partnership; it is managed by the City of Richland, the land is donated by the Port of Benton and fundraising is led by WSU. FLAD Architects and Meier Engineering serve as the program architect, and Hill International is the project management firm.
The University of California Davis serves as an advisor on the programming team, having constructed its research winery just two years ago. Roger Boulton, the UC Davis professor behind the recently constructed Mondavi Research Winery, is advising the programming team.
The finalist firms were chosen as the most responsive finalists to the request for qualifications issued in early January. They are Lydig Construction Co. with ALSC Architects, of Spokane; Hoffman Construction with Olson Kundig Architects, of Seattle and BNBuilders with Mithun, of Seattle.
Each partnership has been invited to submit formal and innovative design and construction ideas and cost proposals to construct the approximately 35,000-square-foot Wine Science Center.
The design-builder will be chosen in late April, with design work to begin immediately. Construction is expected to begin in late September, with the building completed in fall 2014. The site is at the corner of George Washington Way and University Drive in Richland.
The center is to be a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) facility that includes key state-of-the-art research laboratories, a research and teaching winery, a regional and international wine library, classrooms and conference rooms — all connecting WSU’s viticulture and enology faculty and students with industry and research partners worldwide.
The development authority is a unique partnership; it is managed by the City of Richland, the land is donated by the Port of Benton and fundraising is led by WSU. FLAD Architects and Meier Engineering serve as the program architect, and Hill International is the project management firm.
The University of California Davis serves as an advisor on the programming team, having constructed its research winery just two years ago. Roger Boulton, the UC Davis professor behind the recently constructed Mondavi Research Winery, is advising the programming team.
“Every world-renowned wine region has a research university partnering in its success. In Washington, that’s Washington State University,” said Ted Baseler, President and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, a WSU regent and chair of the WSU Campaign for Wine.
The research and teaching conducted inside the center will be specific to the challenges and opportunities faced by grape growers and winemakers in the Pacific Northwest. The state’s grape and wine industry aims to triple its economic impact — already at $8.6 billion — by 2020.
More than $17 million has been pledged in the past two years for the Wine Science Center project, including contributions from the Washington State Wine Commission for $7.4 million through industry assessments, the state’s $5 million legislative grant toward construction, a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant of $2.06 million for equipment, numerous corporate and private commitments, plus in-kind donations of equipment and professional services.
The campaign is in the final stages of fundraising, with the intent of breaking ground in fall 2013. About $4 million is needed by June for construction and start-up equipment, followed by a final $2 million for remaining research equipment.
The research and teaching conducted inside the center will be specific to the challenges and opportunities faced by grape growers and winemakers in the Pacific Northwest. The state’s grape and wine industry aims to triple its economic impact — already at $8.6 billion — by 2020.
More than $17 million has been pledged in the past two years for the Wine Science Center project, including contributions from the Washington State Wine Commission for $7.4 million through industry assessments, the state’s $5 million legislative grant toward construction, a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant of $2.06 million for equipment, numerous corporate and private commitments, plus in-kind donations of equipment and professional services.
The campaign is in the final stages of fundraising, with the intent of breaking ground in fall 2013. About $4 million is needed by June for construction and start-up equipment, followed by a final $2 million for remaining research equipment.
For more details on the project, visit the City of Richland’s website at http://www.ci.richland.wa.us/winesciencecenter.
WSU has been involved in wine-related research since the 1930s and is the only university in the Pacific Northwest offering bachelor’s and graduate degrees in viticulture and enology plus a wine business management program and a distance education program to earn a professional certificate. Thomas Henick-Kling joined WSU in 2009 as director of the viticulture and enology program, which has more than 30 faculty members in the Tri-Cities, Prosser and Pullman.
WSU Tri-Cities is located along the scenic Columbia River in Richland, Wash. Established in 1989 with upper division and graduate programs, WSU Tri-Cities expanded in 2007 to a four-year undergraduate campus offering 18 bachelor’s, 10 master’s and six doctoral degree programs. Learn about the most diverse campus in the WSU system at http://www.tricity.wsu.edu and about WSU’s viticulture and enology program at http://wine.wsu.edu.