Collaboration

The new Library and Learning Center at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has transformed the school’s former library from a quiet place filled primarily with stacks of books into a welcoming and dynamic environment focused on providing students access to the resources needed to succeed academically. In addition to the library, the renovated facility includes the learning lab, which brings together tutoring support previously housed in three different locations, a student academic computing center, nine group study rooms, two academic classrooms, and a One-Button studio for video production. The number of computers available for student use throughout the entire facility has increased from 30 to 300, an important advantage for the many CCP students who do not own personal computers.   

Eli Lilly and Company opened the $700 million Lilly Seaport Innovation Center (LSC) in Boston in August of 2024. Developed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities and National Development, the 346,000-rsf facility offers Class A research environments for biomedical discovery. The 12-story structure also houses the first Lilly Gateway Labs on the East Coast to enable biotech start-ups to collaborate with Lilly scientists.

The University of Sheffield is planning to construct the £37 million Central Teaching Laboratory in the United Kingdom. Designed by Twelve Architects and BVN Architecture, the five-story, 85,000-sf facility will provide advanced instructional settings for the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health. Two super labs accommodating 300 students will leverage extensive glazing to put science on display, complemented by specialized venues for tissue culture, anatomy, and applications requiring a fume hood.

The University of Kentucky began construction in spring of 2024 on the $781 million Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building in Lexington. Designed by Champlin Architecture and HGA, the 550,000-sf structure will serve as the new home for the Markey Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the state. This pivotal project aims to streamline the delivery of care and improve health outcomes by consolidating outpatient clinics and oncology support services in a single integrated location.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is constructing the $117 million Science and Technology Innovation Center (SciTech) to provide dynamic environments for hands-on discovery. Designed by BWBR Architects, the 134,560-gsf building will accommodate programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology, as well as supporting related courses in pre-engineering, biotechnology, and neuroscience.

Whitworth University is constructing the $20 million PACCAR Engineering Building in Spokane, Wash. Integrus Architecture's vision for the two-story facility will provide approximately 21,000 sf of space arranged around three phases of the creative process. EXPLORE will include classrooms, seminar rooms, research labs, and administrative offices. DESIGN will incorporate a computational design lab and a prototyping suite, and MATERIALIZE will offer a metal fabrication shop and resources for working with other materials.

Texas Tech University opened the $112.5 million Academic Sciences Building in Lubbock in August of 2024. Enhancing the student experience with new venues for active learning and exchange, the 130,000-sf facility was designed by BGK Architects and EYP Architecture & Engineering (now a Page company). The three-story structure provides teaching and laboratory space for five departments: chemistry and biochemistry, physics and astronomy, biological sciences, geosciences, and psychological sciences.

The University of Utah opened the Impact and Prosperity Epicenter in August of 2024 in Salt Lake City. Collocating academic, entrepreneurial, and residential functions, the 284,800-sf facility serves as a living and learning community for the David Eccles School of Business. The six-story structure features The Forum, a vibrant gathering place where users from diverse programs can network and collaborate.

The University of New Hampshire completed the renovation and expansion of Spaulding Hall in Durham in late July of 2024. Ellenzweig designed the $89 million project to provide the Department of Biological Sciences with state-of-the-art research labs, core facilities, instructional settings, and collaborative learning venues. Slated to achieve LEED certification, the sustainable structure collocates programs in biochemistry, neuroscience, ecology, cell culture, medical laboratory science, and anatomy and physiology.

The Oxford Science Park is expanding in the United Kingdom to provide sophisticated environments for research and discovery. Three new buildings will rise in the innovation district, which is majority owned by Oxford University's Magdalen College. Designed by Scott Brownrigg, The Daubeny Project will offer a total of 450,000 sf of leading-edge life science space supported by enhanced lab infrastructure. Dramatic colonnades on the ground floor will open onto light-filled areas for reception, interaction, and collaboration.

The University of Virginia is planning to begin construction in fall of 2024 on the $100 million Karsh Institute of Democracy in Charlottesville. Designed by Höweler + Yoon with Hanbury as architect of record, the 69,320-sf facility will offer an ecosystem of spaces for the exploration and enhancement of democratic culture, laws, and institutions. The four-story structure will include a welcoming lobby with a spiral staircase where all members of the university community can gather and interact.

GPI Companies opened a Class A facility in July of 2024 that will be occupied by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Offering collaborative resources for numerous programs, the 112,000-sf building will serve as a vibrant destination for innovation, lifelong learning, and workforce training. Both the Division of Extended Studies and UC San Diego Health Sciences will occupy space in the five-level structure, which includes a café on the ground floor.

The University of North Texas at Dallas is constructing the $100 million STEM Building to provide current and future students with expanded learning opportunities in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Stantec is providing integrated design services for the 128,000-sf facility, which will offer up to 20 general purpose “high-flex” classrooms, nine teaching labs, three research labs, and numerous collaboration spaces. Adaptable wet labs will leverage modular infrastructure to accommodate a variety of biology and chemistry courses.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham broke ground on the Biomedical Research and Psychology Building in late June of 2024. Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, the $190 million development will provide the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology with wet and dry research environments and associated support spaces. The flexible and adaptable facility will incorporate activity-based layouts that enable users to access diverse work platforms that enhance creativity and productivity.

When the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), began to develop a new vision for its historic urban campus, they knew they wanted a high level of stakeholder engagement. The team that came together to work on the academic and research building called on elements of Lean construction, including Gemba walks and journey mapping, as part of design thinking, to empower users to co-create the spaces in which they will work. The new facility—a 310,000sf space in a dense urban environment—is scheduled for completion in 2028.