NJMS Medical Science Building Renovation

In 2015, as part of a comprehensive Rutgers 2030 physical master planning initiative, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, released a report that provided a framework for physical development of the university over a 15-year period, and that discussed potential new buildings as well as the renovation or demolition of existing ones. Among the structures pegged for future renovation was Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Medical Science Building (MSB), a massive edifice built in the 1970s which, by many accounts, had become outmoded.

Since then, officials from NJMS, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS), as well as Rutgers Institutional Planning and Operations have worked to address the concerns outlined in the report while ensuring that any proposed improvement is guided by the strategic goals of RBHS and NJMS. The result: a proposed $400 million multi-year, multi-phase, research-focused renovation plan that, once approved and built, would represent more than just a beautification project. It would provide the school with an opportunity to firmly establish itself as a formidable leader in medical education and as a hub for some of the nation’s most prominent basic scientists and clinical investigators to gather and carry out their groundbreaking and lifesaving research.

Singled out in the report as being in poor condition with “outdated technology and inflexible concrete…” as well as lab spaces that “are old and, at best, currently suited for dry bench research only,” NJMS Dean Robert L. Johnson, MD, can recall a time when the MSB was brand new and the pride of the school. “It had a design that was cutting-edge in educational facilities as well as research facilities,” Johnson says.

But this once-gleaming mammoth, with its distinct utilitarian design—a nod to the Brutalist architectural style popular among institutions through the mid-1970s—has lost some of its functionality, Johnson acknowledges, adding “What was cutting-edge back then is now old hat.”

Citing a lack of usable space, Johnson says the design simply does not facilitate the type of innovative research that is being conducted at the school.

“NJMS is already the largest securer of federal funding for research in the state of New Jersey. And it’s continuing to grow,” says Johnson. In fact, over the last several years, NJMS researchers have brought in more than $150 million in grant support from the National Institutes of Health, which includes individual investigator grants, program project grants as well as equipment and infrastructure grants. To sustain that growth and to build on the success of its already highly regarded research program, he adds, “We need to have some of the best facilities that incorporate newer technologies in research.”

The proposed renovation project seeks to respond to that need and several other key strategic initiatives identified by RBHS in its boardapproved strategic plan. It is also what David C. Schulz, AIA, vice president of planning, development, and design, Rutgers University, describes as a textbook example of good planning. An architect by profession with extensive planning experience and a member of Rutgers Institutional Planning and Operations who has played an integral role in the development of the proposal, Schulz says the best physical plans, “start with strategy and the physical master plan supports that strategy.”

In its strategic plan, RBHS has outlined several key strategic initiatives that it would like to achieve, including emphasizing interprofessional education; improving research space; increasing collaboration and sense of community; elevating schools; and enhancing clinical delivery. And while the proposed renovation project places a lot of attention on research floors, the plan itself paves the way for the realization of other RBHS strategic goals, which as a school under the auspices of RBHS, NJMS shares.

For example, says Johnson, the proposed renovation anticipates an open design “that facilitates scientists moving back and forth between laboratories and collaborating with each other. It will bring in the sunlight and increase the usable research space.” Furthermore, he says, “The educational facilities will be modernized” ushering in an era where students gather in small groups along with faculty, rather than in large lecture halls, to transmit materials and information. “It will also increase the study space we will have.”

What’s more, says William Gause, PhD, senior associate dean for research, “The proposed renovations of the Medical Science Building will provide a much-needed modern research environment to support the NIH-funded research currently conducted at New Jersey Medical School. The floor plan includes more efficient utilization of space and upgrades in physical plant infrastructure including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical systems. All three are essential for operation of laboratory equipment and for safe and efficient laboratory working conditions on a day-to-day basis.”

And, just as significant, Gause adds, “Renovation of these research laboratories further provides an enhanced capability to retain top researchers at NJMS and to recruit outstanding scientists from throughout the country, a strategic priority for the Dean of New Jersey Medical School and the Chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.”

Although there have been small-scale renovations completed in a few areas of the building over the years—including a remodel last fall of the public spaces on the B and C levels of the building that introduced more than 100 pieces of new furniture and provided more spaces where students, faculty, and staff can gather, study, or sit and have a meal—the proposal represents the first large-scale renovation the school will have seen since construction was completed on the MSB in 1976, Schulz says. The proposal, intended to be completed in phases, is subject to approval by the Rutgers Board of Governors and represents the largest proposed renovation in the history of Rutgers University, notes Schulz.

One of the major challenges the proposed project will seek to resolve is the aging infrastructure of the 630,000-square-foot structure, Schulz says. “Much of the infrastructure (electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and elevators) is original to the building and at the end of its useful life. Additionally, the layout on the lab floors is reflective of an early 1970s lab design philosophy where small modular labs— with no flexibility, no access to daylight, and little opportunity for collaboration—were the driving design concepts.”

To evaluate the viability of the proposed project, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), an international architectural firm with significant research laboratory and renovation experience was consulted last year, says Schulz, to develop a feasibility study which focused on research areas as well as academic, student, clinical, faculty, and simulation lab spaces. “Every square foot of the building was considered,” Schulz adds.

With the feasibility study complete, a request for proposals was released this spring seeking design submissions from architectural firms. It will be at least a year before construction begins, as “a design of this level of complexity will take at least a year to complete,” Schulz says. Following the development of design plans, the university would put out an invitation for contractor bids, he adds.

Another challenge that this project presented, Schulz says, “was determining how the entire building could eventually be renovated while maintaining a high level of occupancy throughout construction.” School officials got around that problem by deciding to complete the proposed project—a major renovation involving upgrades to windows, walls, and roof; infrastructure upgrades, like HVAC, plumbing, emergency power, electrical; and new interior configuration, fixtures, and finishes—in multiple phases and affordable segments over the course of several years. This approach helps to minimize disruption to faculty, staff, and students as well as to the school’s day-to-day operations. It further obviates the need for the school to secure the $400 million in funding all at once, Schulz says. NJMS is also working on relocation plans that would ensure that displaced employees will have somewhere to perform their jobs while their workspaces are under construction.

The first phase of the proposed project, which does not call for an increase in square footage, would be geared toward all key infrastructure improvements as well as renovation of 50,000 net square feet of lab space on floors G through I on the east side of the MSB, Schulz says. Additionally, the lab spaces will receive technology upgrades, which Schulz says would include “everything from ubiquitous wireless to high-speed connections for state-of-the-art equipment.” Schulz further notes that careful consideration has been given to the renovation of the building’s infrastructure—such as the design of the mechanical systems—to ensure the protection of the

NJMS community. The proposal, he says, “carefully contemplates new systems being put in before old systems are taken out of service to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of researchers, faculty, staff, and students.”

Not to be overlooked, the exterior of the building will also receive a makeover, Schulz says. “The distinct and strong architecture once celebrated by Brutalists, is now often viewed as unfriendly, foreboding, and unwelcoming to today’s occupants of the building,” Schulz says. “Currently, the building’s exterior displays a framework of concrete infilled with glass metal panels. The proposed plan calls for replacing the panels with added glazing,” which would improve both interior daylighting and make the exterior seem more light and transparent, Schulz says.

When all is said and done, the project will go a long way in helping NJMS to meet its aspiration of being recognized as one of the nation’s top institutions where innovation in the labs, clinical settings, and classrooms is the norm. It will also make the building an inviting place where faculty, staff, students, and visitors feel welcome.

“It’s going to be great to see the place look brand new,” says Johnson. “The building itself will look different and like something we all can be very, very proud of.”