Architect / Engineer (A/E) New Center for Bioscience

Pre-Proposal Conference Location: 07/28/2026 at 2:00 pm EST Engineering Student Success & Research (ESSB) 201 Engineering Drive, Louisville, 40208; Room 101 from 2-4pm The University of Louisville (UofL) seeks to develop a landmark, legacy facility on the Innovation Park site—serving as the inaugural building in the long-term development of this transformative district. This project represents a significant strategic investment in the university’s research enterprise and regional innovation ecosystem. The proposed facility will house the new 65,000-75,000 square foot Center for Bioscience, a multidisciplinary hub designed to unify investigators, innovators, and collaborators from the Health Sciences Center (HSC) and Belknap Campus. The building will include state-of-the-art laboratories, offices, collaboration and “collision” spaces, and specialized infrastructure to support transdisciplinary research teams. The Center is envisioned as a platform for convergence—bringing together expertise in biosciences, engineering, computational science, and related disciplines to accelerate discovery, application, and translation. The Innovation Park is planned as a high density, mixed-use development that integrates academic research and innovation with private industry and student life. As the first building in the planned park, the Center for Bioscience will serve as a catalytic investment to expand the university’s scientific capacity and strengthen regional and national innovation competitiveness. Aside from an existing university-owned parking lot, the site is owned by the University of Louisville Foundation, and is largely undeveloped, presenting both opportunities and complexities in establishing a framework for future phases. Site selection and positioning will be critical to project success. The Foundation owned property is part of the brownfield program and a Phase 1 investigation is underway for the University owned parcel. Key considerations for site selection include environmental regulations, proximity and connectivity to the broader Belknap campus, mitigation of railroad vibration impacts on sensitive research functions, and the building’s role within the larger Innovation Park master plan. The selected A/E team will collaborate with the Foundation’s master planning team to define the building location, footprint, and project boundaries within the larger 37-acre site. Coordination will also include ensuring that adequate utility infrastructure is provided, which is part of the Foundation’s Phase 1 site development. Additionally, the design team must anticipate and accommodate a future pedestrian overpass over the existing railroad tracks at the north edge of the site that will physically connect the south Belknap campus to the Innovation Park, reinforcing integration and accessibility between the two areas.