Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology will break ground in October of 2018 on a $29 million academic building in Terre Haute, Ind. Featuring a glass-walled atrium to showcase internal activities, the three-story, 60,000-sf facility will provide design studios, collaborative workspaces, faculty research suites, breakout rooms, and six flexible classrooms.
Iowa State University is planning a $28 million expansion of the Gerdin Business Building in Ames. Designed to enhance programmatic visibility, the collaborative 40,000-sf addition will provide classrooms, faculty offices, computer labs, study spaces, and a multipurpose atrium. The original structure was designed by ZGF Architects and completed in 2003. Construction will begin on the project in spring of 2019 with completion expected by 2021.
Memorial University is building the $325 million Core Science Facility in St. John's, Newfoundland. Designed by HOK Architects and Hearn Fougere Architects to promote integration and interaction, the multidisciplinary project comprises three tower blocks offering teaching and research labs, offices, and technology-rich learning environments for the departments of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and electrical and computer engineering.
The University of Birmingham broke ground in August of 2018 on a 136,500-sf facility for the School of Engineering in the United Kingdom. Located on the Edgbaston campus, the building will provide 26,900 sf of dedicated research space for the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). Designed by Associated Architects to promote innovation through collaboration with industry partners, the facility will include labs, design studios, and meeting spaces arranged around an atrium containing flexible learning environments.
The University of Pennsylvania is building the $75 million Wharton Academic Research Building in Philadelphia. Designed by MGA Partners, the 65,000-gsf project will provide four flours of academic and research space, including flat-floor classrooms, group study areas, laboratories, and shared conference rooms. On the ground level, a new electrical substation and enclosed loading dock will be built to replace existing facilities. Construction began on the project in spring of 2018 and completion is expected in summer of 2020.
Boeing will lease approximately 100,000 sf of research space to house the Aerospace and Autonomy Center in Cambridge, Mass. Part of MIT's Kendall Square Initiative project, the facility will be located on four floors of a 17-story, 400,000-sf building currently under construction at 314 Main Street. Occupancy is expected in late 2020. The $2 billion Kendall Square Initiative includes the development of six sites to provide research space, offices, housing, retail, and academic facilities.
The University of Edinburgh is initiating a £90 million renovation and expansion of the Darwin Laboratory Building to accommodate the School of Biological Sciences. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the project will include construction of two new laboratory buildings totaling 46,300 sf and a 21,500-sf hub providing meeting rooms, offices, and a café.
Valent Biosciences opened the 85,000-sf Biorational Research Center in July of 2018 in Libertyville, Ill. Sited adjacent to the company's existing headquarters, the facility offers 65,000 sf of open lab space designed to foster collaborative research and development. The facility features a state-of-the-art 20,000-sf greenhouse to support the creation of innovative agricultural products and technologies. Valent Biosciences is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Company Health and Crop Sciences.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is planning a $75.4 million renovation and expansion of its engineering complex. Construction will begin in June of 2019 on the demolition and replacement of the Link, a 25,307-gsf structure connecting Scott Engineering Center to Nebraska Hall. Slated for completion in summer of 2022, the new 87,000-gsf facility will accommodate leading-edge research labs and support. A new mechanical tower will also be constructed.
Rice University will break ground in August of 2018 on the $38 million Kraft Hall for Social Sciences in Houston. Designed by Rogers Partners, the four-story, 73,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, labs, student lounges, faculty offices, seminar and conference rooms, and a multipurpose venue able to accommodate 300 people. Kraft Hall will house the Texas Policy Lab, the Houston Education Research Consortium, the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance, and the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
Purdue University Northwest broke ground in August of 2018 on the $40.5 million Bioscience Innovation Building in Hammond, Ind. Designed by CannonDesign to house the departments of nursing and biological sciences, the 68,000-sf facility will provide sophisticated teaching and research labs, collaborative classrooms, clinical simulation suites, student interaction areas, and faculty offices.
Purdue University’s new 178,000-sf Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) contains seven different types of classrooms that are so integrated into the Library of Engineering and Science that “at times, you almost can’t tell the difference between them,” says Nanette Andersson, director of library facilities. The design was borne of years of study into the effectiveness of active learning and the kinds of spaces that best support it. The result is a facility that is utilized nearly 24 hours a day.
The Georgia Cyber Center opened the Hull McKnight Building in July of 2018. Located on the campus of Augusta University, the facility accommodates a cyber range, a 340-seat auditorium, offices for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Cyber Crime Unit, multi-institutional classrooms and computer labs, a business incubator, and demonstration space to showcase current research. A second structure, the Shaffer MacCartney Building, is slated for completion in December of 2018, creating a 332,000-sf complex that represents a total investment of $100 million.
Red River College began construction in July of 2018 on the CAD$95 million Innovation Centre in Winnipeg. Located on the Exchange District campus, the 100,000-sf facility incorporates a repurposed heritage building and new construction to create a dynamic crossroads with advanced facilities for applied research, entrepreneurship. and commercialization.
Ross University’s School of Veterinary Medicine opened the $10.5 million Research and Pathology Building in July of 2018 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts. Providing eight laboratories, the 19,000-sf facility offers 13,000 sf of research space, 4,000 sf of student space including a 1,500-sf learning center, and 2,000 sf of pathology space with suites for necropsy and histology. Designed to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and interaction, the building will support the One Health initiative in addressing the interconnectivity of animal, human, and environmental health.
