Gilbane and Turner Top Out New Albany Laboratory

The $1.7 billion Wadsworth Center Laboratory project reaches a major structural milestone in Albany.

Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Construction

Isometric editorial illustration of a multi-storey structural steel frame, representing the new laboratory research facility in Albany. — Gilbane and Turner Construction have completed the structural steel frame for the new $1.7 billion Wadsworth Center Laboratory in Albany. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should state governments invest heavily in centralizing public health research facilities?

Gilbane and Turner Construction have completed the structural steel frame for the new 663,000-square-foot Wadsworth Center Laboratory at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus. The facility is designed to consolidate five existing research sites to improve public health threat response.

Why it matters

The laboratory aims to modernize state research capabilities by housing 800 staff members within a single, integrated five-storey facility. By centralizing operations, the project intends to bolster future responses to public health threats across New York.

The project requires 5,545 tons of steel comprising 8,200 major components. Currently, 200 workers from 40 contractors are active on the site.

The players

Gilbane Construction

This global construction firm serves as a lead partner in the joint venture managing the laboratory development.

Turner Construction

As a prominent international construction services company, it is co-managing the building of the new research facility.

HOK

This global design and architecture firm is responsible for the architectural planning of the Wadsworth Center Laboratory.

Wadsworth Center

This institution operates as the public health laboratory for the New York State Department of Health.

The details

The facility is architected by HOK and designed to span five storeys. The construction process has involved coordinating 40 separate contractors to assemble the massive structural frame.

Construction on the laboratory began in 2026.
The structural steel frame topped out in October 2026.
The facility is scheduled for completion in 2030.

Market Landscape

The project follows a pattern set by New York State Department of Health public health response mandates to consolidate decentralized research units into a unified, high-security campus. This facility positions New York to maintain centralized oversight of critical health research amid increasing regional demand for sophisticated bio-containment infrastructure.

While the facility is not open to the public, its completion will centralize state research efforts which currently operate out of five separate locations. Residents and businesses near the W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus can expect ongoing site activity as the interior construction phase progresses through 2030.

The takeaway

Large-scale infrastructure projects require years of coordinated multi-contractor management to reach completion milestones. This development highlights the shift toward consolidating fragmented government operations into high-efficiency, centralized modern facilities.