WARF, UW-Madison seek designer for the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

Madison, Wis. - The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are requesting proposals for the design of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, the $150 million collaborative research facility to be built on the UW-Madison campus.

All qualified parties are invited to submit proposals by the July 18 deadline. The RFP process will conclude in September 2006 with the announcement of the winning design team.

The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery will include the Morgridge Institute for Research, a private facility, and The Discovery Institute, a university facility. The two institutes will be connected by a public atrium and will provide flexible space to encourage opportunities for collaboration. Their construction was made possible by gifts of $50 million each by UW-Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge and WARF. The State of Wisconsin also provided $50 million.

Related documents are available on the State of Wisconsin Web site at http://www.doa.state.wi.us/dsf/dfd_aeinvites_display.asp and will be advertised in newspapers and trade publications.

The project will be constructed in the 1300 block of University Avenue on the UW-Madison campus. Plans call for 300,000 square feet of space, which will accommodate research labs, education space, business development, technology transfer services, and retail. Demolition work at the existing site is scheduled for June 2008. The facility should be completed in June 2010, and occupancy should take place in time for the 2010 fall semester.

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