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.
Trinity College Dublin began construction in September of 2021 on the Martin Naughton E3 Learning Foundry in Ireland. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to promote collaboration and innovation, the six-story, 78,577-sf building will be shared by the schools of engineering, natural sciences, and computer science and statistics. Enabling a dynamic pedagogy of project-based learning, the $71 million interdisciplinary facility will offer maker spaces, studios, and interactive classrooms to support Trinity's Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies initiative.
The University of Kansas (KU) faced a daunting challenge: more than 11 million sf of facilities in 150 buildings whose average age was 45 years and a deferred maintenance backlog exceeding $350 million. At the same time, the university’s strategic plan set a goal of increasing research and discovery, and the resulting campus master plan prioritized the need for new research facilities. Realizing that goal while addressing the existing challenges could have taken decades using traditional funding models. The solution? The Integrated Science Building, KU’s $180 million large-scale public-private partnership (P3) for interdisciplinary campus development, which is breaking new ground in funding models, integration, management structure, and fundraising activities. With this initiative, the university took a “great leap forward” in academic and research programs, design decisions, space allocations, programming, and critical infrastructure upgrades, as well as making a bold step with the project delivery.
Ivanhoé Cambridge and Lendlease will break ground in summer of 2022 on a 320,000-sf life sciences facility in Boston. Designed by SGA, the nine-story building will provide state-of-the-art labs, offices, and collaboration spaces for biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants. Offering BSL-1 and BSL-2 research environments, the amenity-rich structure will include a multipurpose ground floor, a parking garage, and numerous outdoor areas.
The University of Maryland broke ground in August of 2021 on the $116 million Chemistry Building in College Park. Designed by Ballinger, the flexible 105,000-sf structure will provide 34 modular research labs with robust climate controls and vibration mitigation technologies. Accelerating innovation in advanced materials, nanoscience, energy storage, quantum chemistry, and drug discovery and delivery, the project will include two core facilities, 12 meeting and huddle rooms, open office environments, and 13,000 sf of collaboration space.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology opened a $29 million academic building in September of 2021 in Terre Haute, Ind. Designed by RATIO Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 70,000-sf facility provides engineering design studios, flexible classrooms, collaborative workspaces, breakout rooms, and faculty innovation spaces.
The Fitzsimons Innovation Community broke ground in August of 2021 on Bioscience 5 in Aurora, Colo. Strategically located next to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the 90,000-sf building will enable biomedical and pharmaceutical tenants to manufacture next-generation cell and gene therapy products on a commercial scale. Saunders Construction is the general contractor for the highly flexible facility, which is slated for occupancy in spring of 2022.
Rice University began site work in summer of 2021 for the $152 million Engineering and Science Building in Houston. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with Scientia Architects as laboratory design consultant, the 266,000-sf structure will provide state-of-the-art labs, maker spaces, seminar rooms, interactive gathering areas, classrooms, and a dedicated prototyping facility. Flexible office areas will include touchdown spaces for faculty, graduate students, and staff.
