Collaboration

Union College broke ground in May of 2017 on a $100 million renovation and expansion of the Science and Engineering Center in Schenectady, N.Y. The project includes construction of a 24,000-sf addition and a complete renovation of the existing structure to create a 142,000-sf STEM complex accommodating programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Featuring a four-story light well, the interdisciplinary facility will provide collaborative teaching and research labs, classrooms, instrumentation suites, and faculty offices.

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYCSF) opened its 40,000-sf Research Institute in Manhattan in April of 2017. Designed by Ennead Architects, the project accommodates NYCSF’s headquarters and includes a lecture hall, conference rooms, collaboration areas, and flexible laboratories.

The University of Delaware’s College of Health Sciences encourages businesses and the community to play an active role in the Health Sciences campus, with its focus on translational medicine and utilization of the next generation of classrooms. Kathleen Matt, dean of the College of Heath Sciences, describes these learning spaces as “not a classroom at all. It is interacting in unique ways, in all kinds of environments, that drives the learning process, it drives the outcomes, and it drives the changes.”

Carnegie Mellon University is partnering with Tata Consultancy Services to create TCS Hall in Pittsburgh. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 48,000-sf joint facility will provide research labs, academic and administrative offices, instructional space, an innovation courtyard, and a robotics area. TCS Hall will support collaborative research in artificial intelligence, automation, data analytics, cybersecurity, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.

Nebraska Wesleyan University broke ground in April of 2017 on the $27 million Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science in Lincoln. Housing the departments of biology, chemistry, and psychology, the three-story, 80,000-sf facility will provide collaborative classrooms, laboratories, study spaces, and a greenhouse. The project team includes The Clark Enersen Partners as architect of record with Celli-Flynn Brennan as design architect.

Ford Motor Company is expanding and renovating its research and manufacturing facilities in Michigan. Construction will begin in mid-2017 on a $200 million data center in Romeo. In 2018, a truck and SUV production facility in Wayne will be retooled at a cost of $850 million. Ford will also invest $150 million to expand its Wayne engine manufacturing plant. 

The University of Texas Medical Branch broke ground on the $90 million Health Education Building in Galveston in April of 2017. The five-story, 166,000-sf facility will support collaborative interprofessional education programs with large learning studios, technology-rich labs, flipped classrooms, and simulation training suites. The construction manager-at-risk for the project is Vaughn Construction. Occupancy is expected in spring of 2019.

The State of Idaho will begin construction in mid-2017 on two new research facilities at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in Idaho Falls. The 80,000-sf Cybercore Integration Center will accommodate cybersecurity research, development, and education. The 67,000-sf Collaborative Computing Center will house a supercomputer for advanced simulation and modeling operations. The estimated construction cost of both facilities is $75 million. The new centers will be owned by the state of Idaho and leased by INL, which is managed by Battelle.

Texas State University is building the $120 million Bruce and Gloria Ingram Hall on its San Marcos campus. Designed by TreanorHL and Alamo Architects, the five-story, 122,665-sf facility will provide a makerspace, collaborative teaching and research labs, classrooms, study areas, and a robotics and welding studio. Ground was broken on the multidisciplinary project in August of 2016 and completion is expected in summer of 2018.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center officially broke ground in April of 2017 on the $119 million Balbach Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning in Omaha. Serving as the headquarters for the Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning (iEXCEL), the four-story, 191,884-sf facility will feature simulation suites and virtual immersive reality environments for medical training. The ground floor of the building will be occupied by the National Center for Health Security and Biopreparedness.

The University of Texas at San Antonio is planning to begin construction in early 2018 on the $95 million Science and Engineering Building. Designed by TreanorHL and Alamo Architects to promote interaction and collaboration, the multidisciplinary facility will provide active learning classrooms, teaching labs, and faculty offices to support STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The University of Sussex is planning to build the £60 million Life Sciences Building in Brighton in the United Kingdom. Designed by Hawkins Brown Architects, the 183,000-sf project includes the renovation of an existing genome research building and construction of a five-story addition housing technology-rich classrooms and collaborative laboratories for research and teaching. The sustainably designed facility will feature natural materials, green roofs, and internal courtyard atriums.

The Medical College of Georgia is engaged in a $62.5 million expansion of its cancer research facilities in Augusta. Designed to promote interaction between clinicians and researchers, the project includes the creation of a three-story facility housing offices and collaboration space connecting the M.

California State University, Dominguez Hills is partnering with the Toyota USA Foundation to build the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education in Carson. Designed by HGA Architects with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant, the 87,000-sf facility will include a fabrication lab, SMART classrooms, collaborative workspaces, and labs for K-12 teacher training and demonstrations.

Bentley University opened the renovated Jennison Hall in March of 2017 in Waltham, Mass. Designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, the $22.5 million project comprises 85,000 sf of space accommodating classrooms, labs, offices, and interaction areas.