Research Facilities 2025 Sessions

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will significantly reshape research practices and places – start preparing now! This session presents findings from a think tank including SmithGroup’s Science, Technology, and Climate Impact teams, national AI experts and research leaders and a client advisor, James Villarrubia, CTO/Applied AI Expert/NASA Presidential Fellow. Session leaders highlight critical issues identified and new concepts for the next generation of research spaces, and the clean energy infrastructure needed to support them. They illustrate the spatial implications of humanoid robots, the integration of humans and technology in research environments, the impact of computing on the energy grid, and the potential of data centers as energy generators. 

What should owners budget for cost escalation in 2025 and beyond as the Federal Reserve continues to reduce interest rates? What pricing structure should be used to accurately estimate costs for your research projects? Attend this session to get better pricing and more accurate budget figures, and better understand construction cost drivers for different research facilities. The Vermeulens team delivers up-to-date construction cost forecasts based on economic conditions, job creation and cost data from more than 200 projects. Using analyses of equities, GDP, construction labor markets and their national construction weather map, they illustrate regional construction pricing targets for the next two years and demonstrate bid and purchasing strategies that lock in costs and reduce risk. 

Planning research facility capital projects with long lead times often demands some informed forecasting for lab, space, and infrastructure needs of yet-to-be-identified end-users. Session leaders profile multiple case studies where significant research buildings were undertaken and planned with an overarching growth in research goal -- but no users identified. They take a deep dive into Case Western Reserve University’s research growth and capital project future-proofing strategy, compare results, and identify where goals were met, exceeded, or adjusted. They identify critical milestones and governance/cultural components that dramatically impact project outcomes, and best practices for mitigating any discrepancy between forecasts and future research requirements including “loose fit” solutions and flexibility/adaptability strategies.

The interdisciplinary collaboration at USC Viterbi showcases the power of innovation across diverse fields. The inspiring and future-facing vision of project donors and the blending of diverse disciplines has led to a groundbreaking human-centered computing center: Ginsburg Hall. In this session, Tim Cowell and Reese Stevens document how this project was managed from a storytelling and donor recognition perspective, and the challenges, opportunities, and unexpected benefits encountered along the way. They provide valuable insights into how strategic partnerships enhance interdisciplinary projects using technology and branding to tell powerful stories that resonate with donors and stakeholders to drive innovation.

This session delivers data-driven insights for solving the pressing problems research organizations are facing: Outdated facilities, underutilized space, high investment for low return, and meeting regulatory and compliance requirements. Session leaders demonstrate the analysis processes that identify opportunities and drive smarter decisions for moving forward, inspiring innovative planning and operational solutions, and unlocking the potential of both new facilities or renovations. They illustrate methods for overcoming data challenges, mining and synthesizing large data sets, visualizing and planning scenarios for the future, and implementing long term facility data management systems.

Environments for discovery, whether at a University, Government Agency, or in Corporate R&D, must be nimble enough to adapt when thinking and research changes direction, or when new equipment or methodologies develop. The divergent lab is one that anticipates and adapts as needs change, supporting research by establishing a framework for the greatest variety of research directions while anticipating future demands as researchers continue to discover. Through case studies from Walker Chemical and Michigan Technological University, presenters set out strategies for ensuring continuity of forward-thinking culture and brand in labs and throughout the building. They provide renovation and new construction examples of adaptable planning, resiliency, wellness, and cultural development.

Technology is becoming a vital tool for reducing costs, optimizing space, enhancing safety and security, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Here you’ll see how "smart building" solutions leverage data from connected devices and integrate streams to deliver sophisticated and actionable insights. Without adopting these technologies, organizations risk falling behind in sustainability, talent retention, and operational efficiency. Brian Haines demonstrates how to create and implement a successful smart buildings strategy, including the right mix of workplace management and smart building technologies, to improve your building's performance, occupant experience, and reduce environmental impact. 

With AI becoming ubiquitous, adaptable and scalable spaces for computation are in high demand to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and attract the best and brightest researchers. In this case study of University of Florida’s Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology, presenters detail workplace strategies for labs, studios, offices, support spaces, and infrastructure requirements to enable faculty and researchers from medicine, pharmacy, and engineering to leverage AI and machine learning for complicated problems. They illustrate the balancing of competing needs from different stakeholder groups and synergizing disparate design elements, and they deliver benchmarks for space allocation and utilization, construction cost, and energy performance for this type of high-performance facility.

 

News flash: Recent study data shows nearly half of lab workers identify as neurodivergent. How should that be informing decisions on scientific space design -- which has historically been sterile and sensory-intensive? Kay Sargent and Tim O’Connell illustrate the need for neuroinclusive design for all lab workers to enhance focus, innovation, and well-being. They illustrate what can be done in new construction and renovations to deliver environments supporting diverse cognitive styles and fostering creativity, productivity, and worker retention/recruitment for the next generation of scientific innovators.