BNL embarks on first project in its planned Discovery Park

Brookhaven National Laboratory has awarded a $61.8 million contract to Plainview-based E.W. Howell to build the first project of the lab’s planned Discovery Park complex. 

The new 75,000-square-foot Science and User Support Center will serve as a welcome center for guests, researchers and facility users arriving at the lab, according to a BNL statement. 

The SUSC, designed by Burns & McDonnell and Gensler, is the first building planned for Discovery Park, a new vision for the gateway to Brookhaven Lab. The concept for Discovery Park includes the potential for additional development on approximately 60 acres of previously used, publicly accessible land.  

BNL is working, in coordination with DOE, on a process for developers, collaborators, and entrepreneurs to propose, build, and operate new facilities in Discovery Park. 

The U.S. Department of Energy approved funding for a total project cost of $86.2 million for the new building. Construction is slated to begin shortly and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2024. 

“The Department of Energy’s investment in the Science and User Support Center reflects our commitment to science and technology for the nation,” Robert Gordon, manager of DOE’s local Brookhaven Site Office, said in the statement. “It represents a significant step towards moving Brookhaven National Laboratory’s outwardly facing organizations closer and more accessible to the public. DOE continues to support the SUSC to improve researchers’ access to the experts and capabilities offered at Brookhaven Lab.”  

Jack Anderson, deputy director for Operations at BNL, called the awarding of the SUSC contract a major milestone in the effort to improve experiences for staff, guests, and users, to modernize infrastructure, and increase the lab’s overall impact. 

“We’re excited for the facility and for the scientific collaborations it will help facilitate,” Anderson said in the statement.