New labs fuel Tulane’s continued downtown expansion

New labs fuel Tulane's continued downtown expansion

Tulane University leaders came together to celebrate the debut of the newly renovated fifth floor in Hutchinson Memorial Building. (Photo by Cheryl Gerber)

With a recent ribbon cutting to mark its official debut, the newly renovated fifth floor of the Hutchinson Memorial Building is setting the stage for Tulane University's next era of world-leading biomedical research in downtown New Orleans.

The modernized space represents the latest milestone in Tulane's nearly completed, $35 million transformation of Hutchinson, home to the School of Medicine since 1930. Designed to foster collaboration and accelerate discovery, the renovation brings cutting-edge laboratory space into one of the university's most historic academic buildings.

"This transformation marks a new chapter for our team, and we're deeply grateful to everyone who made this possible," said Kathleen S. Hering, associate professor in Tulane's John W. Deming Department of Medicine. "We can't wait to enjoy this modern-meets-historic collaborative space together."

The fifth floor will house labs for multiple principal investigators and their research teams. A newly renovated lab seventh-floor is set to open soon, and the two floors will provide modern laboratory space for more than two dozen research groups, dramatically expanding the School of Medicine's capacity for biomedical research.

Two researchers tour the fifth-floor Hutchinson labs, which will increase research opportunities in Tulane's John W. Deming Department of Medicine. (Photo by Kenny Lass)

"We've been growing our research substantially for the last several years, but this will allow us to accelerate that growth with state-of-the-art lab space," said Dr. Lee Hamm, senior vice president and dean of the School of Medicine.

The Hutchinson project aligns closely with President Michael A. Fitts' vision of positioning Tulane as a driver of discovery, biotech innovation and economic revitalization in downtown New Orleans, anchored by the planned redevelopment of the former Charity Hospital building. By pairing historic architecture with modern research infrastructure, as the Charity project will do, Hutchinson is helping to define the future of Tulane's urban campus.

The university's downtown presence already spans 17 buildings, with 2,700 employees working there and more than 2,600 students taking classes. Over the next eight years, Tulane plans to add another 2,500 downtown employees and boost its annual research spending to approximately $400 million.

Tulane's downtown expansion will build on the university's role as a primary economic engine for the city and state. The university makes an annual economic impact of $5.2 billion statewide and $2.3 billion in New Orleans alone. It contributes $88 million in annual tax revenue to the state and supports more than 30,000 jobs statewide, including 17,000 in New Orleans.