University of Delaware Opens Science and Innovation Facility

The University of Delaware opened a $180 million science and innovation facility in April of 2025 to catalyze interdisciplinary discovery and expand educational capacity. Built on the former site of McKinley Hall in Newark, the 132,500-sf building houses research and teaching labs with damp and dry functionalities, faculty offices and student workspaces, and conference rooms. Standing three stories above grade, the structure’s basement level accommodates an extension of UD’s Bio-Imaging Center, physics labs, and areas for the fabrication of advanced materials. Core facilities are shared between physics and life sciences, and a sky bridge creates a physical link with the adjacent Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging. An inviting courtyard provides informal gathering areas to foster interaction.

HGA’s design for the L-shaped development emphasizes collaboration within a thematic configuration to drive groundbreaking research on complex projects. The basement and first floor are dedicated to quantum science, with studies of the models and mechanisms of human disease on the second floor. The third level supports work on the mind, brain, and behaviour. Equipment chases and a mechanical penthouse mitigate interference to the laboratories, which also feature advanced temperature and humidity controls, concrete slab flooring, acoustic dampening measures, and robust electrical grounding. A 180-kW (DC) photovoltaic array on the roof generates over 22,0,000 kWh of energy annually.

Built to meet the City of Newark’s sustainability standard, the project was constructed by Whiting-Turner and Healy Long & Jevin. LeMessurier was the structural engineer, with BR+A as MEP engineer and CDA Engineering as civil engineer. Construction began in 2022.