The National Bio & Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas, earned top recognition in the 2023 Best Projects program sponsored by ENR Midwest, the regional edition of national construction publication Engineering News-Record.
Constructed by a McCarthy Mortenson Joint Venture team, this 48-acre science campus is adjacent to Kansas State University and will replace the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York.
The role of NBAF is to conduct comprehensive research, develop vaccines and provide enhanced diagnostic capabilities to protect against diseases that threaten the nation’s food supply and public health. It’s the nation’s only large livestock research facility that provides the highest level of biocontainment (BSL-4) and the only large-scale federal biocontainment laboratory facility to achieve LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
In the ENR Best Projects awards program, the NBAF project outscored 63 other projects nominated in 18 categories across the 10-state Midwest region.