Washington State University has begun construction of a Plant Growth Facility at its Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee.
Construction of the $18 million, 24,000-square-foot facility is expected to take about a year; an opening is planned for summer 2027.
The building replaces 70-year-old greenhouses and has been was designed to meet critical space and environmental needs for plant growth and scientific experiments.
Controlled environments are one of the center's biggest needs. In the new design, two wings of planned greenhouse space with 20 compartments, totaling about 9,000 square feet, will enable researchers to control lighting, temperature, and carbon dioxide levels. That level of control will help researchers more quickly develop ways to help trees withstand heat, cold, drought, pests, and diseases.
Other new workspaces and laboratories, including a 2,150-square-foot clean microbiology lab space and several rooms for DNA-based experiments, create the necessary infrastructure for new projects.
Along with a common area and administrative space, the Plant Growth Facility will also have an 80-person capacity conference area, where university scientists can host conferences. The space will be 40% larger than the biggest existing meeting space at the center.
The design-build team is Flad Architects and Absher Construction.
