North Carolina State University broke ground in April of 2018 on the $150 million Fitts-Woolard Hall in Raleigh. Accommodating the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, the 250,000-sf project will provide leading-edge laboratories and classrooms, as well as administrative space for the office of the dean.
Southern New Hampshire University is planning to build a 67,000-sf facility for the College of Engineering, Technology, and Aeronautics in Manchester, N.H. Designed by Wilson Architects, the three-story STEM building will provide teaching labs, flexible classrooms, collaboration spaces, a computer lab, and suites for robotics, materials science, and 2D/3D printing. The facility will feature four CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) hubs where students can work on projects from conception through operation to create real-world solutions and products.
SUNY New Paltz is building the $14 million Engineering Innovation Hub in New Paltz, N.Y. Accommodating a new bachelor’s degree program in mechanical engineering, the 19,500-sf facility will feature the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center to provide instruction in 3D design and printing. Designed by Urbahn Associates to foster collaboration with industry partners, the hub will also include space for businesses participating in the START-UP NY economic development incentive program. Completion is expected in summer of 2019.
The University of Houston opened the $145 million Health 2 facility in May of 2018. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch, the nine-story, 300,000-sf project is the university's second health and biosciences building and houses the College of Pharmacy, the Department of Health and Human Performance, the Student Health Services Clinic, and the Primary Care and Behavior Clinics.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) inaugurated the 145,300-sf Dow Innovation Center in May of 2018. Created in partnership with The Dow Chemical Company, the facility offers sophisticated research laboratories for creation of advanced technologies for water, oil, and gas processing, and the development of innovative construction materials and coatings. The project was designed by HOK and Kirksey Architects with Vanderweil Engineers as MEP engineer.
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is building the $200 million Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Neuroscience Research Building in Pasadena. Designed by SmithGroup to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, the three-story, 150,000-sf facility will provide wet, dry, and computational research labs, a teaching lab, a vivarium, a 150-seat lecture hall, conference rooms, and offices for investigators and staff.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center celebrated the opening of the $39.7 million Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS) in Memphis in May of 2018. Designed by brg3s architects, the three-story, 45,000-sf facility will enable students from the colleges of dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, health professions, graduate health sciences, and medicine to train together in the delivery of team-based care.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney broke ground in May of 2018 on the $30 million Discovery Hall. Replacing the existing Otto Olsen building, the collaborative 90,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in mathematics, engineering, physics and astronomy, construction management, industrial distribution, interior design, aviation, and computer sciences and information technology. The interdisciplinary STEM building will provide technology-rich labs and classrooms, a full-motion simulator, and an ITEC Testing Center.
The Dow Chemical Company is planning a $121 million expansion and renovation of its heritage corporate campus in Williams Township, Mich. The new Innovation Center will house approximately 200 R&D employees engaged in the collaborative development of innovative products and technologies that bridge silicone science and organic chemistry. An existing structure will be renovated to create the 28,000-sf Product Safety Laboratory.
The University of Edinburgh opened the £23 million Charnock Bradley Building in May of 2018 in Scotland. Located on the Easter Bush campus, the 75,000-sf facility is part of the school's master plan to create the European Centre of Excellence in Animal Sciences and Food Security. Designed by Atkins Global, the project houses teaching labs, student services, exhibition space, and the Roslin Innovation Centre, a business incubator with research and office space for startups and industry partners.
Global biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb opened a 62,000-sf biologics discovery center on its Redwood City campus in April of 2018. Designed by Stantec to support the development of new cancer therapies, the facility provides research labs and 115 perimeter workstations in an open office environment. The building is illuminated by abundant natural light and offers huddle rooms and conference rooms adjoining the main circulation area to enhance collaboration.
The University of Illinois broke ground in late April of 2018 on the $48 million Siebel Center for Design in Champaign. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the two-story, 59,000-sf facility will act as a campus-wide hub for human-centered design thinking and learning. Connecting the north and south areas of campus, the multidisciplinary center will feature five team-based collaboration studios, accommodating a total of 400 students, and a large workshop for 3D printing, fabrication, CNC machining, and laser and water-jet cutting.
Health education institutions nationwide are pivoting toward instructional programs anchored around interprofessional team-based care models that satisfy accreditation requirements and better prepare tomorrow’s healthcare professionals by simulating real-world environments. In addition to improving outcomes, integrating multiple departments with shared resources can also increase space efficiency and lower operating costs.
Manhattan College broke ground in late April of 2018 on the Patricia and Cornelius Higgins Engineering and Science Center in New York City. Designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, the three-story, 30,000-sf facility will feature a grand atrium, collaborative learning spaces, and 14 technology-rich labs for teaching and research. Physically connected to a refurbished Leo Hall and adjacent to the existing Research and Learning Center, the project will offer a total of 140,000 sf of academic space for engineering and the sciences.
The University of Cambridge opened a £60 million facility for the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in April of 2018 in the United Kingdom. Designed by BDP to promote collaboration and interaction, the 118,400-sf facility features a central atrium, BSL-2 and BSL-3 biological laboratories, cleanrooms, laser labs, optical and imaging suites, and a magnetic resonance research center.
