Construction is ramping up on UNMC’s CORE (Campus Operations and Research Excellence) Building at the southwest corner of Saddle Creek Road and Farnam Street.
People soon will begin to see structural steel erected on the site as crews continue work on the six-story office and lab building, scheduled for completion in late summer 2026. Once completed, the facility will support computer-based research and wet lab-based research for drug discovery, oncology research and other strategic research areas at UNMC.
“We’re excited to see vertical progress on the structure,” said Chris Ehlers, project manager for UNMC Facilities, Management and Planning. “In the coming months, passersby will see the installation of steel, metal decking, concrete floors, fireproofing and brick-clad concrete wall panels.”
In response to UNMC’s Sustainability Strategic Plan, the building will have a strong focus on energy consumption related to the lab spaces. The building’s design has been revised to incorporate the potential for four wet labs to expand pivotal research areas. Mechanical systems have been designed to accommodate future flexibility and scalability.
The CORE Building will serve as the cornerstone of UNMC’s new Saddle Creek Campus at the corner of Saddle Creek Road and Farnam Street. The site also is in proximity to the Catalyst building, scheduled for completion later this year, which will bring together UNMC’s UNeMed and UNeTech branches with biotech and technology startups and make the CORE Building ideal for research that leads to product and drug collaboration and innovation.
The building is being designed to accommodate a future pedestrian bridge structure crossing over Saddle Creek Road, linking the Saddle Creek Campus to the main academic health science campus. Work also has begun on an adjacent parking structure – which the City of Omaha will pay for, own and operate – to serve the building.