Orlando, Fla. — Mechanical Services Inc. is underway on University of Central Florida's new five-story, 198,000-square-foot Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences building here under its design/build contract with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., HOK and Newcomb & Boyd.

The mission-critical biotech laboratory will serve as the primary research facility for the adjacent UCF College of Medicine and Lake Nona Medical City currently under construction south of Orlando International Airport.

MSI selected TAC, an affiliate of Schneider Electric, Carrollton, Texas, as its automation team member for the highly-specialized project. The Web server-based system controls all air handling and building integration systems with the laboratory pressurization controls provided by Phoenix Controls as well as the Strobic Air exhaust systems. In addition, the state-of-the-art TAC automation system also controls the central Cleaver-Brooks steam boilers, variable speed drives and lighting systems. With more than 3,000 points of control, the TAC controls and software developed by MSI will support the design/construction team in attaining LEED certification.

The Burnett Biomedical Sciences building, which will include Biosafety Level 3 laboratories, is the first of several buildings that will create a biomedical cluster that will include UCF's College of Medicine with the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, the Burnham Institute and a satellite University of Florida research building, a new Veterans Administration Hospital and Nemours Children's Hospital, all of which will have vigorous research programs.

In addition, the school has formed active partnerships with other units such as the College of Optics and Photonics and the Nanoscience Technology Center to build interdisciplinary research and education programs for the applications of photonics and nanoscience to biomedical problems.