05/20/2026
On May 20, 1998, Van Andel Institute broke ground on Phase I of our building. The moment was more than symbolic — it was when our founders’ vision to transform biomedical research and improve human health began to take physical shape in the form of a permanent home.
The following two years saw the construction of the Institute’s 160,000-square-foot Phase I. This phase featured the first of VAI’s distinctive, cascading glass skylights. The skylights, which were designed to represent the rapids of the nearby Grand River, invited abundant natural light into the space and would later be repeated during construction of our Phase II addition.
