Collaboration

The Phase II addition to the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center (PNRC) houses 419 occupants, including 45 principal investigators (PIs) from 10 separate NIH Institutes, along with 374 post-doctoral researchers. The PNRC is a state-of-the-art research facility that promotes world-class biomedical neuroscience research by enhancing interdisciplinary communication and collaboration as a means of facilitating innovation and creativity.

Kean University is constructing the Green Lane Academic Building in Union, N.J. Designed by Gruskin Group, the 114,700-sf teaching and research facility will accommodate programs in health and computer sciences. The six-story project will feature a 500-seat auditorium, technology-rich classrooms, and collaborative study lounges. Completion is expected in July of 2015.

As health science education becomes increasingly interprofessional, the design of academic medical facilities is changing to reflect this new type of learning. Collaboration is the cornerstone of interprofessional medicine, as health care providers strive to offer the best patient care. Nurturing such collaboration begins in the educational facilities where students from multiple disciplines learn the importance of working together.

The University of Georgia broke ground on the $44.7 million Science Learning Center in Athens in September of 2014. Designed by HDR, the 122,500-sf STEM facility will provide 33 instructional labs for chemistry, biology, and physics, as well as two 280-seat lecture halls and two SCALE-UP classrooms (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs). The general contractor for the project is Whiting-Turner. Completion is expected in spring of 2016 with occupancy in the fall.

The University of Alabama is partnering with Lockheed Martin to create a data science research lab. Located at the Culverhouse College of Commerce in Tuscaloosa, the facility will allow students to participate in the development and application of advanced analytics technologies. Still in the design phase, the laboratory will be located in Bidgood Hall and will feature a visualization suite with multiple plasma screens and digital projectors as well as collaboration spaces for small group work.

The Wistar Institute completed the $100 million Robert and Penny Fox Tower in Philadelphia in September of 2014. Designed by Ballinger to promote interaction and collaboration, the seven-story, 89,000-gsf facility provides advanced biomedical research space for the study of cancer, genetics, and vaccine development. Located on the University of Pennsylvania campus, the project represents an expansion of Wistar's existing facilities and increased the number of labs from 30 to 46, as well as delivering upgraded building infrastructure systems.

The University of Pennsylvania is constructing the $68.6 million Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building in Philadelphia. Designed by SmithGroup, the six-story interdisciplinary facility will support collaborative research in biology and psychology and will connect two existing structures. The 78,000-gsf building will house classrooms, research labs, offices, study areas, an auditorium, and interaction space. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable certification will be sought for the facility, which will feature a metal mesh sunshade façade and a green roof.

High-performance core facilities, spurred by proliferating cross-disciplinary investigations and technological advances, can benefit from the long-standing focus on flexibility that has generated so many design efficiencies in the traditional research lab, says Randy Kray, senior vice president and science and technology director of programming and planning at HOK.

The University of Iowa completed construction of the $126 million Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building in July of 2014 in Iowa City. The six-story, 200,000-sf facility provides advanced research laboratories for faculty from the UI Carver College of Medicine. The interdisciplinary project was designed by Gwathmey-Siegel in collaboration with Rohrbach & Associates with Payette as laboratory design consultant.

With no private offices or assigned seats, not even for top executives, employees at GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) corporate office at the Philadelphia Navy Yard work in a variety of work settings. Work spaces include the atrium, the cafeteria, sit-to-stand workstations, quiet rooms, meeting rooms, and even the rooftop.

The 350,000-sf Conventus facility is under construction in Buffalo, N.Y. The seven-story building will provide clinical, office, and research space and is strategically located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus to support collaboration with academic and industry partners. The project team includes Kideney Architects, construction manager LPCiminelli, Siracuse Engineers, M/E Engineering, and C&S Companies. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground on the $25 million Jacobs Hall in August of 2014. Housing the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, the 24,000-sf engineering facility will provide flexible teaching and collaboration spaces, digital fabrication labs, six design studios, and exhibit areas. The project architect is Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects and the general contractor is Hathaway Dinwiddie. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2015.

The 21-story Hospital for Sick Children's (SickKids) Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning is believed to be the largest health center in the world devoted to children's health research. It houses more than 2,000 scientists and staff, with room for 260 PIs—previously scattered in six different locations—conducting state-of-the-art genomics, cancer, stem cell, brain behavior, and organ research.

NASA Glenn Research Center opened the $20.5 million Mission Integration Center in Cleveland in July of 2014. The three-story, 90,000-sf facility provides collaborative research and office space to accommodate 300 employees. The project has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification and will use 30 percent less energy and 40 percent less water than a conventional building. Construction began on the facility in September of 2010.

Whittier College will begin construction in spring of 2015 on a $46 million renovation of the Stauffer Science Building in Whittier, Calif. Designed by Steinberg Architects of Los Angeles, the 88,000-sf structure will be renamed the Science and Learning Center and will provide a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. The laboratory design consultant for the project is Research Facilities Design (RFD) of San Diego. Completion is expected in 2017.