A New Era for Research: Columbia’s Roy and Diana Vagelos Innovation Laboratories Takes Shape

This facility will be the first purpose-built, all-electric academic research lab in New York City. It’s a bold statement—one that reflects both regulatory demands and institutional ambition. Designed to meet New York City’s Local Law 97 and to advance Columbia’s Plan 2030 climate goals, the new lab is set to rede­fine what research spaces can achieve.

Joseph Chin, LF Driscoll Healthcare’s se­nior vice president
for healthcare, says the project’s all-electric design marks a turning point.
Everything—heating, cooling, even hot water—is electric. “It’s more efficient
and will be the first of its kind to meet Local Law 97,” he says.

AN AMBITIOUS FOOTPRINT

This isn’t Columbia’s first foray into re­search facilities—but it may be its most complex. The new building is being con­structed between two active sites: the Columbia School of Nursing and the Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion. These con­nections aren’t just symbolic. The new lab will physically link to both buildings, inte­grating into their existing infrastructure through carefully planned breakthroughs and shared spaces.

The building’s structure reflects this precision. The first six floors are concrete—unusual for re­search buildings of this kind, which are typically steel. The goal was alignment: concrete slabs allowed exact floor matching with neighboring structures. Above that, the structure transitions to a steel frame topped with metal decking and concrete. This hybrid approach not only makes the building more adaptable but also supports Columbia’s aesthetic goals—match­ing the concrete massing of one building on one side and glass finishes on the other.

NAVIGATING LOGISTICS

Construction hasn’t been simple. With research­ers and students nearby, the team had to work with care—sometimes down to the decibel.

“There’s no work at night because it’s a res­idential neighborhood,” says Chin. “They are busy 24/7 because of the hospital, students, and neighbors. We have to work around that to make sure we’re not making too much noise.” To manage this, the team brought in a vibration monitoring firm, which placed 42 monitors throughout the adjacent buildings. Weekly coordination meetings with faculty and building staff help the team time their work around sensitive research, student ac­tivities, and major events like graduation.

And with the building fronting a public street and flanked by a garage that has to stay open throughout construction, site logistics are another challenge. Trade access, hoist place­ment, and pedestrian pathways has to been rethought and reconfigured several times. The even built a walkway over the sidewalk just to maintain hoist access.

INSIDE THE LAB OF THE FUTURE

Flexibility is a major theme of the project— not just in construction but in how the lab will be used. Floors two through six are being designed as wet labs, but with infrastructure that allows easy conversion to dry labs in the future. That flexibility was built into the de­sign from day one.

Material sourcing also presented hurdles. With long lead times and rising global tar­iffs, the team prioritized early procurement. Curtainwall systems from Italy and lab equip­ment from Canada were ordered in advance to avoid potential delays and unexpected costs.

Building information modeling (BIM) and virtual design have been indispensable. “With this project, you’re dealing with tight ceiling heights and a massive amount of utilities—especially in a lab setting,” ex­plains John Matist, senior superintendent at LF Driscoll. “Without VDC, managing the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing coordi­nation would have been quite difficult.”