Collaboration

The University of New Mexico broke ground July of 2016 on a $35 million facility in downtown Albuquerque that will act as a living laboratory for entrepreneurial education. Representing the first phase of the planned ABQ innovation district, the six-story, 160,000-sf Lobo Rainforest Building will provide collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, business incubators, and student accommodation. The Air Force Research Laboratory will also lease space in the building, which will offer access to advanced technologies and instrumentation suites.

Morgan Advanced Materials is planning to construct the Carbon Science Center of Excellence in University Park, Pa. Located in Penn State's Innovation Park, the 30,000-sf facility will support collaborative R&D with academic and industry partners in the field of carbon research, with a focus on materials and application engineering. Occupancy is expected in late 2017. Based in the United Kingdom, Morgan Advanced Materials is a global leader in the production of engineered carbon and ceramic materials.

The University of New South Wales is building the AUD$125 million Biological Sciences Building in Sydney, Australia. Located on the Kensington campus, the 234,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research laboratories for the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. Designed by Woods Bagot to optimize flexibility and adaptability, the project will utilize mobile lab benching systems in collaborative research areas located adjacent to support zones with dedicated write-up spaces.

AstraZeneca is building the £750 million Global R&D Centre and Corporate Headquarters on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the United Kingdom. Providing advanced facilities for pharmaceutical discovery and development, the 580,000-sf project will include space for biologics research, high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry, pre-clinical research, and clinical studies. Designed to optimize interaction and connectivity, the collaborative 11-acre campus will accommodate approximately 2,000 employees and will include an on-site energy center.

Texas Tech University selected Hill International in July of 2016 to design two new facilities on its Lubbock campus. Comprising the Education, Research & Technology Building and the West Expansion Building, the $83.7 million, 150,000-gsf project will provide modular open labs for interdisciplinary research, principal investigator offices, core instrumentation suites, academic offices, a seminar room, and support space. 

Berea College is building the $72 million Margaret A. Cargill Natural Sciences and Health Building in Berea, K.Y. Housing the departments of biology, chemistry, mathematics, nursing, and physics, the 125,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will support collaborative education with technology-rich ‘classatories’, team project labs, and seminar rooms for problem-based learning.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is planning to build the $102 million Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning in Omaha. The 183,742-sf facility will act as the headquarters of an initiative called iEXCEL (Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning) and will feature virtual immersive reality environments for medical training. The project will also provide collaborative space for engineers, graphic artists, and instructional design experts to develop and research new learning tools and techniques.

HCA East Florida will begin construction in fall of 2016 on a $219 million hospital in Davie, Fla. The facility will be located on the campus of Nova Southeastern University adjacent to HCA's existing emergency department at the site. The 200-bed academic medical center will support collaborative research, education, and training programs as well as accommodating clinical trials.

Oregon Health & Science University broke ground in June of 2016 on the $160 Knight Cancer Institute in Portland. Designed by SRG Partnership to foster multidisciplinary collaboration, the seven-story, 320,000-sf facility is located on the South Waterfront Campus and will provide biomedical laboratories, administrative offices, interaction hubs, core labs, a 200-seat auditorium, and space for clinical trials.

Memorial University is planning to build the $325 million Core Science Facility in St. John's, Newfoundland. Designed by HOK Canada and Hearn/Fougere Architecture to promote integration and collaboration, the multidisciplinary project will include three tower blocks connected by two vertical atria spaces. The 480,000-gsf facility will provide 156,000 sf of research labs and 98,000 sf of teaching labs for the departments of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and electrical and computer engineering.

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is building a $550 million translational research hospital, a project that has now been named the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Designed by Gensler, HDR, and Clive Wilkinson Architects, the facility will feature human research labs where interdisciplinary teams of clinicians, scientists, and technologists will deliver advanced therapeutic modalities.

Duke University will begin construction in summer of 2016 on the $103 million Medical Sciences Research Building III (MSRB III) in Durham, N.C. Comprising six floors above ground and one below, the 155,000-sf facility will accommodate collaborative research teams arranged in thematically aligned groups. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2018.

The University of Rochester is building the $25 million Wegmans Hall in Rochester, N.Y. Housing the Goergen Institute for Data Science, the four-story, 58,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide laboratories, classrooms, collaborative work zones, a large auditorium, and faculty and staff offices. LEED Silver sustainable design will be sought for the project, which will be dedicated in October of 2016 with occupancy expected in winter of 2017.

The University of Saskatchewan has renovated and modernized its health sciences education and research facilities to accommodate shared operations, space, and technology, using change management strategies to help faculty, staff, and students move from silos to a team-based model. The transformation incorporates institutional, as well as physical, changes, including restructuring established administrative processes and hierarchies.

Columbia University Medical Center dedicated the $70 million Vagelos Education Center in June of 2016 in New York City. Designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with executive architect Gensler, the 14-story, 100,000-sf facility provides technology-rich classrooms, an advanced simulation center, collaborative learning areas, a 275-seat auditorium, a café, and a student commons. LEED Gold certification will be sought for the project, which features a transparent design with abundant natural light.