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The recent topping off ceremony at the HELIX H-1 in downtown New Brunswick marked a major next step for the burgeoning Health + Life Sciences Exchange project, which will be a major hub for the state’s innovation economy.

H-1, the first of three planned HELIX buildings, is a $732 million, 12-story, 574,000-square-foot building, which will house the new Rutgers School of Medicine, Rutgers Translational Research, The New Jersey Innovation Hub, along with several other key HELIX partners and stakeholders. Jingoli is the construction partner on H-1, slated to be completed in 2025.

Before the final steel beam was placed atop the H-1 building, the first column was set Feb. 5, 2024. Workers have since assembled 5,136 tons of steel and poured 10,537 square yards of concrete. Interior work is progressing, and installation of exterior panels is scheduled to begin by the end of September.

“The topping off is an opportunity to mark a milestone; to thank the members of the building trades that work on a project like this,” New Brunswick Development Corp. President Christopher Paladino told NJBIZ at the event. “Remind the folks in the building trades of what they are working on and how important it is. And get ready for the next phase, which will be enclosing the building. We are already putting mechanical systems in the building. And I want to get this thing enclosed in the next six months. But we got this out of the ground and got the steel up before bad weather – so we are doing good.”

“The project is moving along really well,” Joe Jingoli, CEO of Jingoli, told NJBIZ. He noted the strong relationship between partners like DEVCO, New Brunswick and others. “Topping off is always an exciting day. But it’s also a day where we get an opportunity to bring up the decision makers, the press — everybody who’s had involvement in the project. And it gives us a chance to put out there all of our community programs, all of our social responsibility programs.”

Nearly 200 government and business leaders, project stakeholders, invited guests, and the union workers who have been working on the project were on hand for the ceremony.

“This topping off ceremony represents the progress of this remarkable project and the continued growth and revitalization of our city,” said New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill. “H-1 is more than just a building. It’s a symbol of the commitment of the State of New Jersey, Middlesex County and New Brunswick to innovation, sustainability, and economic development.”

Appreciation of dedication

Cahill thanked the project stakeholders for bringing the vision to life, giving special recognition to Paladino and DEVCO for their long-time partnership with the city. “DEVCO has long been a driving force behind so many of our city’s transformative projects – and H-1 is clearly no exception,” said Cahill. “We know and appreciate the value of dedicated union labor in each and every one of our projects that we’ve done in rebuilding New Brunswick. So, to all of the dedicated workers who have put in countless hours to reach this point – thank you.”

Cahill said that all of their hard work and dedication is evident in every beam and every floor that has been constructed so far.  “Simply put, New Brunswick’s revitalization would not have happened without you,” Cahill continued. “So, as we look up at this impressive structure, we are reminded of what we can achieve when we work together with a shared purpose. H-1 is not just a building – and HELIX is not just a complex. It’s a statement about the future of the State of New Jersey, Middlesex County, and the City of New Brunswick – a future that is bright, prosperous, and full of promise. As we place this final beam, let it serve as a reminder of the heights we can reach when we aim high and work together.”

Middlesex County Board of Commissioners Director Ronald Rios echoed those sentiments and spoke about how vital HELIX is to the county’s long-term vision. “Over the past 10-plus years, Middlesex County has been on a journey to create a sustainable economic system,” said Rios. “From strategic public and private partnerships and key investments in education and infrastructure, that vision is already coming to life in several ways, including HELIX, which will further establish Middlesex County as an epicenter of innovation and collaboration; a place where discoveries are made; ideas become reality; economic growth is fostered; and the future begins to take shape.”

Rios stressed the effect HELIX will have on the county’s life sciences sector – bolstering its reputation as a regional hub for research and development.

On the horizon

HELIX will also include H-2, the future home of Nokia Bell Labs – with DEVCO noting that, simultaneously, that project is progressing through its design and planning phase. Plans call for the company to move into the 10-story, 350,000-square-foot facility by the beginning of 2028.

“Working on the next one – Nokia is going to break ground on Bell Labs in January,” said Paladino. “Then, where we are standing now – the third building – which we believe is going to be a 40-story building will break ground sometime within the next year.”

“We were proud to announce that the HELIX will be home to Nokia Corp.’s East Coast R&D operations,” said Rios. “It is also the future home of a command center for Data City, the county’s living laboratory for autonomous technology. The HELIX is a great example of collaboration – something we in Middlesex County pride ourselves on and is a critical piece of the county’s broader economic strategy.”

“On behalf of Gov. [Phil] Murphy, we are so excited about what’s happening here at H-1; what’s going to be happening at H-2; and I think we are standing on H-3, which will happen next,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “And it is just an extraordinary journey.”

Sullivan, an advocate and driving force behind the project from the state level, reflected on the journey to this moment. He noted it brings together and continues New Brunswick’s remarkable momentum; emphasizes innovation, a key priority for the Murphy administration; and reinforces the power of partnerships required to get big things done.

“Everywhere you look, there’s a partner who deserves thanks and has their fingerprints in this building,” said Sullivan, who added that no project better embodies the administration’s vision of building out the innovation economy in New Jersey.

“To have a beautiful new campus for our medical school and to have exceptional translational research facilities,” said Towers. “The value of which represents one of the single-largest investments in life sciences translational research in the history of our state.”

“The HELIX is among the most complicated projects we have ever undertaken,” said Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway. “But it’s also one of the most transformative public-private partnership projects we have been involved in.”

“Rutgers has world-class students, world-class faculty, world-class researchers – and we are redefining our world with their ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurial energy,” said Towers. “This is what excellence looks like at Rutgers, the State of New Jersey, and our future together.”

NJ’s life sciences sector |
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Holloway echoed that continuing theme of partnerships. “We would not be celebrating the topping off – placing the last piece of steel atop the framework – if there were not such a strong partnership among so many,” said Holloway. “Some of those partners are here today. Some of those partners will be in the building with Rutgers. And some of the partners will not occupy the building but have worked tirelessly for years – knowing the impact that this development will have on New Jersey’s innovation economy.”

Business leaders on hand for the ceremony applauded the progress and collaborative nature of the project. “New Brunswick, on the whole, is all about long-term vision,” Michele Siekerka, New Jersey Business & Industry Association president and CEO, told NJBIZ. “It’s taken decades to see the city come to where it is. And now it’s building the ecosystem that we all always talk about – the idea of bringing together academia and business and education. And it’s just an extraordinary opportunity here.”

“I see New Brunswick as the perfect example of how the private sector and the public sector work together,” Mike Egenton, executive vice president, Government Relations, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, told NJBIZ. “And today, we are celebrating a great project.”

As Paladino thanked and addressed the union workers for their contribution to the project, he hoped that the ceremony would re-energize and motivate them as they continue their work on this critical project.

“As you hear today, how important the work is that you’re doing,” said Paladino. “You’re building a place where the next generation of physicians will be trained; where discoveries and labs lead to cures; and where early-stage companies will move from startups to commercialization – growing the New Jersey economy.”