Collaboration

Gensler has published the results of its U.S. Work from Home Survey. The study explored the current experience of working from home during the pandemic and how this is influencing people’s expectations for the future workplace. The survey was conducted to help provide greater insight into the work-from-home experience and how the workplace will be designed in the post-COVID world. As a result, Gensler is building a better understanding of how to address pre-pandemic workplace issues, including the need for more space, less desk sharing, and more autonomy.

American University is constructing the $90 million Hall of Science in Washington, D.C. Designed to promote innovation and collaboration, the 125,000-sf building will provide shared research areas where students and faculty can participate in joint projects with scientists from the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The US Navy broke ground in May of 2020 on the $23 million Directed Energy Systems Integration Laboratory in Port Hueneme, Calif. Located at Naval Base Ventura County's Point Mugu sea range, the 18,500-sf facility will allow the Naval Surface Warfare Center to provide accelerated delivery of laser lethality to warfighters at sea.

Envision a highly adaptable, flexible, and sustainable research building, with maximized lab square footage and a thriving, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary environment. Arizona State University attained this vision of a workhorse facility through a first-time building delivery partnership. Both the vision and its realization focus on answering one question: How much research space can we get? “Through the lens of a ‘space manager,’ I’m always trying to get the highest and best use of space out of the university’s available square footage,” explains Erik Halle, senior director of Research Facilities and Infrastructure at Arizona State. “With Biodesign C, we wanted to see how far we could push that.”

Montana State University Billings is renovating and expanding an existing structure to create the 80,000-sf Yellowstone Science and Allied Health Building. Designed by Dowling Studio Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the $15 million project includes the construction of a three-story, 30,000-sf addition that will provide 16 teaching labs, 11 research labs, classrooms, study spaces, and a shared equipment core.

Colorado State University broke ground in May of 2020 on the $60 million Vida building in Denver. The 114,000-sf facility represents the first phase of construction at CSU's $200 million Spur campus at the National Western Center. The 250-acre site is being redeveloped to create a vibrant hub for the exploration of global issues including human and animal health, water quality, and sustainable food systems. 

The London School of Economics and Political Science is constructing the £100 million Paul Marshall Building in the United Kingdom. Designed by Grafton Architects, the 183,000-sf building will house the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship as well as instructional spaces, research centers, arts rehearsal facilities, sports and fitness amenities, and departmental offices. Featuring an expansive ground-floor interaction commons, the 10-story structure will include two basement levels and a split-level rooftop terrace.

Oklahoma State University and the Cherokee Nation are building the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tahlequah, Okla. The 84,000-sf facility will be the first tribally affiliated medical school in the United States and will act as an additional campus for OSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa.

The University of Maine began construction in May of 2020 on the $78 million Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center in Orono. Designed by Ellenzweig and WBRC Architects/Engineers to promote experiential learning, the 108,000-sf facility will feature hands-on teaching labs for programs in mechanical and biomedical engineering. The three-story multidisciplinary building will also offer instructional spaces, capstone project rooms, a collaboration commons, conference rooms, informal meeting areas, and offices for faculty and staff.

Boston Real Estate COVID Consortium is creating a toolkit of strategies for workplace design, construction, and management in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The mission of the consortium is to share knowledge relating to current industry best practices, due diligence, and adapting to changes in codes and regulatory amendments for the post-pandemic working environment.

The University of Mississippi is planning to begin construction in late 2020 on the $160 million Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Oxford. The 204,000-sf facility will provide leading-edge laboratories, interactive classrooms, collaboration areas, lounges, breakout spaces, conference and meeting rooms, and offices for faculty and staff. Anchoring the new Science District, the building is expected to be one of the nation’s leading student-centered learning environments for STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VIMC) is being constructed on an accelerated schedule in Oxford in the United Kingdom. Ground was broken on the £66 million project in April of 2020 and occupancy is expected in 2021, a year earlier than previously planned.

The University of Delaware began construction in April of 2020 on the $38 million FinTech building in Newark. Located on the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, the 100,000-sf facility will accelerate the development of innovative financial technologies. The six-story project, which is being created in partnership with Discover Bank and the Delaware Technology Park, will enable the university to lease space for its research programs in financial analytics, cybersecurity, data analysis, and human-machine learning.

Rhodes State College is planning to begin construction in mid-2020 on the $20.2 million Borra Center for Health Sciences in Lima, Ohio. Designed by Munger Munger + Associates Architects, the 50,000-sf building will accommodate allied health programs including nursing, emergency medical services, respiratory care, and occupational and physical therapy assistance. The structure will provide six additional classrooms and a leading-edge simulation center with high-fidelity training suites for experiential learning in obstetrics, surgery, and intensive care.

The Human Technopole Foundation is planning to construct a 592,000-sf biomedical research campus in the MIND Milano Innovation District in Italy. Designed by Piuarch, the Human Technopole Campus will include a ten-story, 377,000-sf facility offering 177,000 sf of dedicated laboratory space. Comprising two flexible volumes connected by a full-height atrium, the $102 million building will include advanced instrumentation suites, 800 investigator workstations, meeting rooms, event venues, and space for several research centers.