Georgia Southern University broke ground in February of 2017 on the $33.6 million Interdisciplinary Academic Building in Statesboro. Designed by HOK, the 110,000-sf facility will provide classrooms to support a progressive pedagogy of interactive, student-centered learning.
“Convergence” is the term increasingly used to describe the intermingling of disciplines in next-gen academic research facilities. Embodied by today’s moonshot-type initiatives targeting big picture-level discovery, convergence has been dubbed “the next scientific revolution.” It is characterized by collaboration among experts in multiple fields of endeavor tackling the major scientific problems of our time. From a facility perspective, convergence goes beyond the organizational progression that has seen traditional departmental siloes challenged by the move to multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary or clustered research. It brings together many diverse specialties, from biomedicine to engineering to business to law, in a single place.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County began construction in May of 2017 on the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) in Baltimore. The 130,000-gsf facility will provide 70,000 net assignable square feet of technology-rich teaching and research space, including active learning classrooms, shared research labs, teaching labs, seminar rooms, and group project areas.
The University of Southern Mississippi dedicated the $31 million Asbury Hall in March of 2017 in Hattiesburg, Miss. Designed to promote interactive learning, the 86,000-sf facility will provide the College of Nursing with classrooms, an expanded clinical simulation lab, computer labs, and offices. Construction began in late 2014 on the project, which will enable the college to increase enrollment from 550 students to over 800.
The University of Arizona opened the $136 million Biosciences Partnership Building in February of 2017. Located on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, the 10-story, 245,000-sf facility houses the Center for Applied NanoBioscience and Medicine, the Institute of Molecular Medicine, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Lab, the Research and Translational Flow Cytometry and Immunology Core Lab, and an advanced cancer research lab.
Boeing is planning to build a £20 million manufacturing facility in Sheffield in the United Kingdom. The 25,000-sf project will support the production of wing actuation components and systems for the fabrication division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The facility will also support collaborative research and development with the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) on techniques and systems for optimizing manufacturing processes.
The University of Adelaide opened the AUD$246 million Health and Medical Science Building in February of 2017 in South Australia. Designed to promote interprofessional education, the 14-story teaching and research facility features 24 advanced simulation training suites, four floors of laboratories, three lecture halls, and a dental hospital. Accommodating 600 researchers and 1,600 students, the building provides a centralized home for the Adelaide Nursing School, the Adelaide Medical School, the Adelaide Dental School, and the School of Public Health.
Texas Tech University broke ground on the $77 million Experimental Sciences Building II in February of 2017 in Lubbock, Texas. Designed by TreanorHL to support interdisciplinary research, the collaborative 117,000-gsf facility will provide four general wet labs, three core instrumentation suites, two synthetic labs, a vivarium, a BSL-2 lab, conference rooms, and offices for researchers and principal investigators. The construction manager for the LEED-certified facility, which comprises four stories and a basement, is Project Control.
The University of Manitoba is planning to build the Smartpark Innovation Hub in Winnipeg. Designed by Cibinel Architecture to foster collaborative partnerships between industry, academia, and government, the 75,000-sf facility will include laboratories, prototyping suites, multimedia classrooms, conference rooms, and business incubator space. The general contractor for the project is Bird Construction and occupancy is expected in April of 2018. The Stanley Paul Engineering Building will also be constructed.
Ryerson University is building the Centre for Urban Innovation in Toronto. Designed by Moriyama & Teshima, the project includes renovating and expanding an existing structure to create a 40,000-sf facility providing wet and dry research labs, fabrication suites, and offices for business incubation and commercialization. The collaborative center will accommodate researchers in infrastructure, logistics, transportation, alternative energy, water management, food production, and data analytics.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory broke ground in late January of 2017 on the $91.5 million Integrative Genomics Building in Berkeley, Calif. Designed by SmithGroup, the four-story, 82,604-gsf facility will house approximately 300 researchers and staff from the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and the Systems Biology Knowledgebase.
Auburn University broke ground in February of 2017 on the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center in Auburn, Ala. The $40 million facility will feature a design and innovation center with maker spaces, labs, shops, project incubators, and flexible classrooms for active learning. The project will also include technology-rich study spaces, conference rooms, and auditoriums, as well as areas for recruitment, tutoring, and academic advising. Completion is expected in spring of 2019.
The University of Idaho opened the $53 million Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) on its Moscow campus in January of 2017. Designed by NBBJ, the collaborative 70,000-sf project features flexible laboratories for interdisciplinary research, an advanced visualization suite, offices, conference rooms, and core labs with shared equipment. Hoffman Construction Company broke ground on the facility in August of 2014. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.
Brigham Young University-Idaho dedicated the 108,000-sf Science and Technology Building in February of 2017 in Rexburg. Designed by CRSA of Salt Lake City, the three-story facility provides classrooms, multifunctional laboratories, and faculty offices for the Departments of Animal and Food Science, Applied Plant Science, Computer Information Technology, and Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the project will feature collaborative areas for student projects.
Central Michigan University opened the $95 million Biosciences Building in January of 2017 in Mount Pleasant. Designed by Stantec to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 169,000-sf facility provides teaching labs, research labs, lecture halls, an active learning classroom, an auditorium, and faculty offices. The building also includes a BSL-3 suite, an herbarium, an imaging center, and an aquatic research vivarium. Clark Construction began work on the project in September of 2014.
