ACAI Associates Goes Gold

Nova Southeastern University’s Center for Collaborative Research Awarded LEED Gold Certification

ACAI Associates is pleased to announce that their design work for the newly constructed Center for Collaborative Research (CCR) at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has received LEED Gold certification, a top honor recognizing green build initiatives, by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). As a third-party non-profit organization, USGBC developed LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, to help owners and builders design, construct, operate and maintain environmentally responsible buildings and communities.

ACAI designed the 215,000-sq.-ft., six-story building to house wet and dry labs with collaborative spaces and set aside areas; state-of-the-art research equipment, including access to a high-performance computing environment; the Rumbaugh Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research and its 20,000-sq.-ft. vivarium; the United States Geological Survey heading the Restoration of the Florida Everglades; and a vast array of researchers and tenants in multiple disciplines for collaborative studies. Located adjacent to the university’s Health Professions Division complex on NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus, the opening of the $100 million CCR makes it one of Florida’s largest and most advanced research facilities.

All occupants of the university’s new center will also benefit from its shared Core Facilities:

• Genomics Core Facility for sequencing human genes associated with disease

• Flow Cytometry Core Facility for isolating special cell types such as immune and stem cells

• Cell Therapy Core Facility for developing immunotherapies and regenerative medicines

• Imaging Core Facility with advanced digital microscopy capabilities

“Gold level certification for a research facility of this size is exceptional,” says Adolfo J. Cotilla, Jr., AIA, founder and president of ACAI. “Our design goal struck a delicate balance.  We needed to manage the  the competing requirements of designing a scientifically complex research facility and with very specific sustainability targets.”

The project continues to receive accolades from the local community.  The building also recently won an honorable mention from the AIA Ft. Lauderdale Chapter.    And according to Stan Linnick,  Director of the  Ambassadors Board at Nova Southeastern University,  the achievement of LEED status  will add prestige to the University’s  reputation and leadership position in the  field of research.   The first Gold LEED certified building at NSU, the CCR is now one of the largest and most advanced research facilities in Florida.

NSU is a national doctoral research university with “high research activity” as classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Currently, more than 200 research projects are underway, including studies on cardiovascular disease, anti-cancer therapies, chronic fatigue syndrome, autism, coral reef restoration, stem cells, disorders that cause blindness, wildlife DNA forensics, and more.