Sustainability

The University of Maryland, Baltimore is constructing a dynamic home for the School of Social Work that will equip the next generation of change-makers to create new solutions for key societal challenges. Designed by Ballinger, the $125 million facility will feature modern learning environments that prioritize openness, transparency, and inclusivity. The 127,400-gsf building will consolidate activities previously dispersed in six separate locations, as well as accommodating the Master of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy programs. 

Carnegie Mellon University celebrated the opening of the $100 million Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) in late February of 2026. Located at Hazelwood Green, the site of a former steel mill in Pittsburgh, the 150,000-sf facility embodies the evolution of that industrial heritage by uniting programs in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence under one roof. Perkins Eastman's vision for the three-story structure created flexible high-bay research spaces and R&D venues that can address robotic systems at different scales.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center opened University Hospital in February of 2026 in Columbus. Designed by HDR, the $1.9 billion tower will drive high-impact discoveries that translate to improvements in patient care while providing outstanding clinical education to the next generation of healthcare professionals. The 1.9 million-sf development represents the largest single-facility construction project in the university’s history and offers 820 beds in private rooms equipped with sophisticated telehealth technologies.

The University of Miami Health System is transforming cancer care and research in South Florida with the opening of the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building. Representing an investment of over $250 million, the state-of-the-art facility was designed by HOK to seamlessly integrate biomedical discovery with world-class patient treatment. The 244,000-sf structure doubles the footprint of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and provides the Miller School of Medicine with leading-edge research environments for collaborative team science.

The University of California, Los Angeles is constructing the UCLA Research Park to create an engine of innovation and economic growth for Southern California and beyond. The visionary project is transforming the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall into a dynamic destination where basic scientists join with industry experts to advance discovery and commercialization. Acquired by UCLA in December of 2023, the property encompasses more than 1.3 million gsf on 9.2 acres, with two main buildings spanning a total of 700,000 sf connected by an enclosed pedestrian bridge.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building (ALGEN) is the product of a down-to-the-concrete renovation that transformed an aging, nondescript health sciences research facility into a modern, light-filled home to seven floors of four different dry lab phenotypes. The building is topped by an executive floor that, for the first time, brings together key leadership of the university’s health system and Heersink School of Medicine (HSOM). Fresh glazing on an expanse stretching over a busy downtown street creates a striking double helix pattern that telegraphs the building’s mission. A newly constructed conference center adjoins the renovated structure.

The University of Toronto is planning to construct the James and Louise Temerty Building on its St. George Campus to provide the Temerty Faculty of Medicine with modern, collaborative environments for discovery and learning. Standing 11 stories high with two basement levels, the 398,000-gsf facility will offer multiple floors of wet and dry laboratories for interdisciplinary research that will be shared with the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Department of Cell & Systems Biology.

UC Davis Health (UCDH) is constructing the 910,000-sf California Tower in Sacramento. Envisioned as a cornerstone for critical care in the region, the $3.7 billion complex will add a 14-story hospital and a five-story pavilion to the existing medical center. The resilient facility will provide approximately 334 private inpatient rooms, 250 of which can seamlessly transition to “pandemic mode” to offer additional infection isolation capabilities through negative air pressure.

Novartis broke ground in February of 2026 on the Biomedical Research Center in San Diego. This nexus for innovation will enable end‑to‑end discovery across key disease areas and technology platforms, joining seamlessly with existing sites including Cambridge, Mass., and Basel, Switzerland. Representing an investment of $1.1 billion, the 466,000-sf facility will drive advances in neuroscience, global health, regenerative medicine, and oncology and age-related diseases.

Roche will expand its leased presence on Harvard University’s Enterprise Research Campus from 30,000 sf to 100,000 sf in Breakthrough Properties’ One Milestone property in Boston. Located in the thriving Allston neighborhood, the Roche Genentech Innovation Center will bring together cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism experts with data science and AI specialists to accelerate drug discovery and development. Construction is nearly complete and phased occupancy will commence in mid-2026.

The University of New Mexico is planning to create a new home for the School of Medicine in Albuquerque. The 330,000-sf building will act as a gateway to UNM's North Campus, which accommodates the existing Health Sciences Center and UNM Hospital. Shaped by the vision of ZGF Architects and McClain + Yu Architecture & Design, the transformational development is expected to double enrollment capacity over the next decade to address the demand for more providers across the region.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls opened the Science and Technology Innovation Center (SciTech) in January of 2026. Designed by BWBR Architects, the $117 million building features immersive environments for hands-on discovery. The three-story, 134,560-gsf structure offers a maker space, active learning studios, 12 instructional labs, and three wet research labs. This nexus of experiential education also provides 32 undergraduate research spaces, an optics lab, computational labs, offices, and conference rooms.

The University of Victoria is expanding the footprint of the Department of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) with two highly sustainable facilities. The CAD 89.6 million project includes the construction of a six-story addition to the ECS building to provide biomedical, geotechnical, materials, building science, and environmental and hydraulics labs. Featuring active learning venues and undergraduate design studios, the development will also house graduate student workstations, faculty collaboration spaces, computer labs, and departmental offices.

Genentech, an independent subsidiary of Roche, is expanding the initial investment in its new biomanufacturing facility in Holly Springs, N.C., from $700 million to approximately $2 billion. Originally envisioned as a 700,000-sf complex, the project will now deliver increased production volume and scale capacity, significantly enhancing the company's U.S. supply chain.

The 1,235-acre University of Maryland (UMD) campus in College Park sits just eight miles from the nation’s capital. Founded in 1856 as a land-grant institution, the university offers 300 degree programs through 12 colleges serving 41,000 students and—together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore—has $1.4 billion in sponsored research expenditures. Over the past decade, the school has experienced many shifts, including joining the Big Ten Conference and receiving its largest donation in university history.