Bowdoin College has opened a sustainably designed complex in Brunswick that includes the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies and Barry Mills Hall. Designed by HGA, the two structures represent the first commercially scaled mass timber buildings in the state of Maine. The $37 million project offers a total of 46,000 sf of teaching, research, and museum space.
Louisiana State University Health Shreveport celebrated the completion of the $79 million Center for Medical Education in December of 2023. Designed by Perkins&Will and Coleman Partners Architects, the four-story, 155,000-sf facility features a 500-seat auditorium-in-the-round, three 250-seat active learning classrooms, and 27 flexible instructional venues. Simulation suites and clinical skills labs leverage immersive technologies to enhance experiential education and training.
The University of Michigan broke ground in December of 2023 on a $250 million research and education building in Detroit. Designed by KPF, the University of Michigan Center for Innovation (UMCI) will accommodate graduate programs in computer science, robotics, artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, financial technology, and sustainability. The 200,000-sf facility will also foster engagement with area residents by offering professional development classes, certificate courses, and workforce training opportunities.
Mayo Clinic opened the $120 million Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building in December of 2023 in Rochester, Minn. Designed by HDR, the 176,000-sf structure provides flexible, open labs for basic and translational research in oncology and neurology. Accommodating multidisciplinary teams of investigators, clinicians, and data analysts, the 11-story facility will accelerate the discovery of new therapies through the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.
The University of Minnesota is renovating and expanding the historic Fraser Hall to create a central destination for chemistry programs on the Twin Cities campus. Designed by VJAA and BWBR Architects, the $144.7 million Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories initiative involves the demolition of a portion of the existing building, a 95-year-old law library, and the removal of an addition built in 1954.
Arizona State University broke ground in December of 2023 on Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ISTB12). Located on the Polytechnic campus in Mesa, the $185 million project will provide the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering with a centralized home for the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks.
The University of South Alabama broke ground in December of 2023 on a dynamic new home for the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine in Mobile. Designed by Perkins&Will and Eskew Dumez Ripple, the $200 million facility will address a nationwide shortage of physicians by enabling the first-year class size to increase from 80 to 100, with the capability to accommodate 125 students in the future.
Cornell University is constructing the $54 million Atkinson Hall in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Lake Flato and SWBR, the 104,000-gsf facility will meet the diverse needs of four unique programs, all of which are university-wide in scope. The multidisciplinary research building will house and support the growth of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Department of Computational Biology, the Center for Cancer Biology, and the Center for Immunology, including the Friedman Center for Nutrition and Inflammation.
The University of California, Berkeley broke ground in November of 2023 on the $136.8 million Undergraduate Academic Building. Designed by LMN Architects and TEF Design, the 78,000-sf project will offer more than 45,000 asf of modern learning space including 27 general assignment classrooms, informal study areas, and advising offices for College of Letters and Science. The technology-enabled facility will include flexible instructional venues of varying sizes to support a range of pedagogical styles.
HITT Contracting will relocate its headquarters to a planned 270,000-sf development in Falls Church, Va. Designed by Gensler, the six-story facility will advance the firm's aspiration to redefine the future of construction through innovation, partnership, and sustainability. The project involves the transformation of an existing office structure, previously a satellite campus operated by Virginia Tech, into a collaborative educational hub for the built environment.
The University of Sheffield broke ground in November of 2023 on an £80 million aerospace manufacturing research center in the United Kingdom. Catalyzing the aviation industry’s efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the 29,700-sf Composites at Speed and Scale (COMPASS) building will house the Boeing-led Isothermic High-Rate Sustainable Structures (IHSS) project. This world-class innovation hub will support the development and testing of new technologies to address the demand for lighter commercial aircraft.
The University of Toronto broke ground on the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) in November of 2023. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and MVRDV, the five-story, 144,482-sf building will offer world-class environments for the education of the next generation of physicians, nurse practitioners, and allied health practitioners.
The Georgetown Company is planning to construct a 185,000-sf life sciences center in the Hell's Kitchen district of Manhattan in New York City. Created in partnership with Beacon Capital and ZoE Life Sciences, the seven-story facility will provide purpose-built research environments for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants. The highly collaborative structure will offer flexible floorplates starting at 31,000 sf that can accommodate a variety of lab and office configurations.
Morgan State University is planning to break ground in early 2024 on the $342 million Science and Research Complex in Baltimore. Designed by Moody Nolan in association with CannonDesign and K. Dixon Architecture, the 246,000-gsf facility will provide next-generation environments for programs in biology and chemistry.
Now that we know working from home works, how can employers entice workers back into the office? The answer lies in pilot studies and data analysis that focus on the collaborative, activity-based work spaces that make the commute worth their while.
