Campus Construction Projects Advance as Spring 2004 Blooms

Photos by Ernie Branson

That's the C wing of Bldg. 31 at left, and the new Multilevel Parking Garage-10 associated with Bldg. 33 at center, while in the foreground is the foundation work for Bldg. 33 itself. The rocky subsurface of the Bldg. 33 site had to be loosened with explosives earlier in the project. Cranes at the crater's north and south ends announce future progress upwards. Bldg. 33 is projected to be complete by December 2005, according to the Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORFDO).

At right is the Multilevel Parking Garage-10 near Bldg. 33, as seen from the vicinity of Cedar Lane. Although the project has a finished look from the outside, much interior work remains to be done before the facility opens in August 2004 with space for some 1,230 vehicles.

At left is the new pull-out along Cedar Lane near Rockville Pike where employees can be dropped off in the "kiss and ride" lane. Pedestrian access through the fence is also available here. MLP-10 is in the background.

This is the year the broad and capacious new Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center opens. This spring, landscapers are at work on the front of the facility, planting trees, bushes and shrubs that will adorn its main entrance. A series of staircases ascend from Center Dr. to the main entry. Construction work can still be seen on the overhang at the front door, that will shelter vehicles as they approach the new hospital.

The Edmond Safra Family Lodge is due to open at the end of July 2004. An architectural cousin to the Cloister Bldg., on whose front lawn it sits, the lodge will be home to adults being treated at the Clinical Research Center (visible at right rear) and their relatives.

The John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center (above) is a two-phase project. Phase 1 is due to be complete around June 15, 2004. The facility will house neuroscientists from multiple NIH institutes. And yes, window washing will be a significant part of building maintenance for years to come.

Attractive stone terraces will be a feature of the new main entrance to NIH near the Medical Center Metro, along Rockville Pike at Center Drive. This project, which will also incorporate a Visitor's Center, won't be finished until December 2005, according to ORFDO.

The new NIH fire house, Bldg. 51, was recently completed, allowing the NIH Fire Department to relocate to spacious new quarters after many years of inhabiting Bldg. 12. The large bays seen here accommodate the department's vehicles, and the wing at rear provides sleeping and dining space for the fire fighters.

A new wing added to the Children's Inn at NIH has recently been finished and employees were moving in during late March, said Laura King, director of volunteers at the facility. Families and patients are expected to start staying there in early May, King said. The addition brings inn capacity to 55 families from a former total of 36.

This hole in the ground is the foundation for the new Multilevel Parking Garage-9. Seen from one of the upper windows of Bldg. 49, this site lies adjacent to the Clinical Center's old surgery wing and Blood Bank. That's Convent Drive along the photo's left margin. The garage, which will hold 978 vehicles, is expected to be finished by mid-February 2005.

At left is another view of MLP-9, this time seen from the CC Blood Bank vicinity, with Bldg. 49 in the background, as well as Bldg. 40, the Vaccine Research Center (behind the crane at right). The site used to be a paved parking lot.

The bucolic stream that traverses the valley between Bldgs. 1 and 21 was the site of major bank restoration this past fall and winter. Although lab buildings can be seen in the background in this photo, the site will soon be filled in by foliage, returning it to a more natural look. This will be a good place to witness the emergence of brood X cicadas (sometimes called 17-year locusts) when the weather warms up in spring.