The University of Oxford began construction in November of 2021 on the £200 million Life and Mind Building in the United Kingdom. Designed by NBBJ to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the 270,000-sf facility will house the departments of experimental psychology and biology, which will include space for programs in zoology and plant sciences.
The University of Mississippi broke ground in October of 2021 on the $175 million Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Oxford.
Sterling Bay began construction in October of 2021 on a 320,000-sf life sciences center in Chicago. Designed by Gensler, the eight-story ALLY building will provide leading-edge lab and office environments for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants. With 15’ floor-to-floor heights, the 280,000-rsf project will offer flexible floor plates of approximately 42,000 sf.
Eastern Washington University opened the $67 million Interdisciplinary Science Center in Cheney in October of 2021. Designed by LMN Architects with Research Facilities Design as laboratory design consultant, the four-story, 102,000-sf facility features vibrant social spaces supporting a variety of teaching laboratories that put science on display. Accommodating programs in physics, chemistry, biology, and geology, the student-centered building offers sophisticated classrooms, lecture halls, offices, collaboration spaces, and study areas.
The newly renovated Robert A. Welch Hall lays the groundwork to transform the way science is taught and done at the University of Texas, Austin, to move from siloed departments to transdisciplinary research that focuses on emerging fields that occur at the interfaces of traditional core science departments. While the sciences had been almost entirely housed in separate single-department buildings, the College of Natural Science’s master plan calls for more program-based facilities. The renovation infuses the building with light and increases its research capacity by 30 percent.
The University of Arizona began construction in October of 2021 on a $42 million renovation and expansion of the historic Old Chemistry Building in Tucson. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch and Poster Mirto McDonald, the project will provide the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry with 55,000 sf of renovated space featuring four new collaborative classrooms, three teaching studios for online instruction, a visualization cave for immersive virtual learning, and technology-rich research labs.
Towson University began construction in October of 2021 on the $175 million College of Health Professions in Towson, Md. Designed by Perkins&Will and JMT Architecture, the 240,000-sf facility will accommodate growing programs in nursing, health sciences, occupational therapy, occupational science, and speech-language pathology and audiology.
The University of Vermont is building the $45 million Firestone Medical Research Building in Burlington. Designed by Payette and Black River Design, the collaborative 62,250-sf structure will provide the Larner College of Medicine with core facilities, flexible labs, conference rooms, and support spaces.
The University of Arizona broke ground in September of 2021 on the $99 million Grand Challenges Research Building in Tucson. Designed by ZGF Architects and BWS Architects, the 115,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide flexible labs for programs in optics, quantum computing, advanced communications, and biomedicine.
Moderna is partnering with Alexandria Real Estate Equities to create a 462,000-rsf headquarters and research facility at the Alexandria Center development at One Kendall Square. Accelerating the discovery and development of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, the collaborative structure will feature leading-edge R&D labs, sophisticated offices, and engaging gathering spaces.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to begin construction in 2023 on a $225 million facility for the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. Catalyzing synergies between academic researchers and industry partners, the seven-story, 300,000-sf building will provide a dynamic nexus for Wisconsin’s growing tech ecosystem while meeting increased demand for programs in robotics, cybersecurity, software design, and machine learning.
Santa Clara University opened the $253.5 million Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation in September of 2021. Designed by ZGF Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 270,000-sf facility provides leading-edge teaching and research environments for STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Virginia Tech broke ground in fall of 2021 on the first academic building on its Innovation Campus in Alexandria. Designed by SmithGroup, the 300,000-gsf facility will offer experiential learning environments, maker spaces, flexible multipurpose areas, faculty offices, and research and testing labs for the school's graduate programs in computer science and engineering.
Washington State University Tri-Cities opened the $30 million Collaboration Hall in Richland in September of 2021. Designed by ZGF Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 40,000-sf facility features technology-rich teaching labs for programs in physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, and anatomy and physiology.
The U.S. Department of Energy will begin construction in fall of 2021 on the $19.5 million Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) in Golden, Colo. Located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's South Table Mountain campus, the 15,700-sf facility will provide 5,500 sf of flexible lab space for cross-disciplinary research at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, bioscience, and engineering.
