The University of Colorado Boulder on Thursday, May 18, released a request for qualifications for the preliminary design of an addition to the Ramaley Biology building that will provide the Department of Integrative Physiology with new state-of-the-art research facilities.
A proposed addition to the northwest end of the Ramaley Biology building would give the Department of Integrative Physiology about 14,400 assignable square feet of new research space.
Pending approval by the CU Board of Regents next year, construction of the three-story, 22,000-gross-square-foot addition to the west end of Ramaley would begin in the summer of 2018, with completion slated for late 2019 in time for the spring 2020 semester. The estimated cost of the project is about $21 million.
Established as a major in 2003, Integrative Physiology has grown quickly to become the second-largest undergraduate major on the CU Boulder campus with more than 1,800 students. But the program has been spread out among several locations on campus. The proposed addition would solidify Ramaley as the program’s largest base of operations, absorbing the faculty and staff currently housed in Carlson Gymnasium.
“We need to begin to establish an identity, and an important part of that process is having a home we can call our own,” said Pei-San Tsai, professor and chair of the Department of Integrative Physiology. “Having this Ramaley addition is going to be a major step toward that goal.”
Research labs in Carlson that study muscle fatigue, cardiovascular aging and blood-vessel function will all find new homes in the Ramaley addition, which will include roughly 14,400 assignable square feet of space. The expansion will also include space for two additional labs, allowing the program to move aggressively toward hiring new faculty recruits.
Other features of the addition will include a conference room, clinical spaces for interviews and testing of human subjects, and offices for faculty, staff and graduate students. The project also includes upgrading the chilled water lines to the existing Ramaley building to help improve cooling efficiency and offset heat loads from lab equipment.
“These faculty [in Carlson] have really persevered to create first-rate research,” Tsai said. “I’m really excited that they can get the proper facility they deserve.
“I think the entire department is very excited and looking forward to this building and what it can do for us in the future.”
