The National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF) is the answer to an important national challenge — to ensure the public health and the safety and security of our national food supply. The total completed NBAF will be a $940 million, 707,000-square-foot facility in Manhattan, Kansas, that will provide integrated research, response, and diagnostic capabilities to protect animal and public health.

The NBAF Central Utility Plant (CUP) is an 87,000-square-foot, free-standing CUP to house boilers, chillers, emergency diesel generators, and other support elements for the main laboratory facility. The CUP is scheduled to be completed in October of 2015.

The NBAF laboratory contains 574,000 gross square feet, including biosafety level (BSL) 2, 3, and 4 shared research space to be constructed on the 29-acre site. The facility will house advanced research, diagnostic testing and validation, countermeasure development (i.e., vaccines and anti-viral therapies), and diagnostic training for high-consequence livestock diseases. The lab will also provide the necessary infrastructure to improve understanding and preparedness for potential bioterrorism employing foreign animal disease and zoonotic disease pathogens that may be accidentally or intentionally introduced in the United States and will develop capabilities to improve protection against such threats.

The architect and engineer of record for the project is NBAF Design Partnership (NDP), which includes Perkins+Will, Flad Architects, Merrick & Company, AEI Engineering Inc., and CCRD Partners. Construction of the NBAF is to be completed in 2020, with full operational capability achieved in 2022.