MD Anderson Cancer Center Zayed SCT Cell Engineering

The MD Anderson Cancer Center Zayed SCT Cell Engineering project is a $5,250,000 renovation of 7,058 square feet located at 6565 MD Anderson Blvd in Houston. This alteration work focuses on Level 12 of the Zayed building, specifically targeting an active laboratory area. The scope includes selective demolition and infrastructure upgrades to accommodate a new Cell Engineering Viral Vector Lab. TDLR completed plan review in June 2026 and construction is scheduled to finish in October 2027, with work starting August 2026.

Johnston, LLC serves as the design firm of record for this project. The registered accessibility specialist is Tim Mullins. The project is registered with TDLR and involves public funds, public land, or is a Federally funded roadway project. The estimated cost of $5,250,000 translates to $744 per square foot.

Scope and Scale

The renovation is significant in both size and cost compared to typical Harris County filings. Among 39,001 registered renovation and alteration filings in the county, the median estimated cost is $250,000. This project’s cost is above the county median for its type. The median size for similar filings is 4,000 square feet, while this project covers 7,058 square feet. The median cost per square foot is $80, making this project’s $744 per square foot well above the standard.

The scheduled build window for this project is 437 days. This duration is longer than the county median of 92 days for similar renovation and alteration work.

Owner and Area Context

MD Anderson Cancer Center is the owner and developer of record. The organization has six other TDLR-registered projects totaling $3,413,664. Johnston, LLC has six other registered projects totaling $19,787,735. The project is located in ZIP code 77030, where the U.S. Census ACS 2023 five-year estimates list a population of about 12,976. The median household income in this area is $79,415, and the median owner-occupied home value is $614,100. Housing in this ZIP code is mostly renter-occupied.

Harris County unemployment was 5.2 percent in July 2026, which is higher than a year earlier. The project status is Review Complete. The construction timeline runs from August 2026 to October 2027. The specific work involves creating a viral vector lab within the existing infrastructure of the Zayed building.