Bowdoin College held a groundbreaking ceremony in April of 2021 for the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies in Brunswick, Maine. Designed by HGA, the 16,426-sf facility will be dedicated to the broad multidisciplinary study of the Arctic. Interactive teaching and laboratory spaces will enable faculty, students, and visiting researchers to better understand the region's unique environmental conditions and challenges.
Life sciences developer IQHQ began construction in April of 2021 on the $1 billion Fenway Center in Boston. Created in collaboration with Meredith Management, the biomedical research hub will be situated over the Massachusetts Turnpike on an air rights deck. The amenity-rich campus will include two towers offering 960,000 sf of leasable lab and office space, 10,000 sf of ground-floor retail, and an automated parking garage.
Sanofi will begin construction in fall of 2021 on a vaccine manufacturing facility in Singapore. Representing an investment of $477 million over five years, the structure will comprise a central hub housing several fully digitalized modules that allow production of three to four vaccines simultaneously. Designed for maximal flexibility, the next-generation factory will integrate multiple technology platforms based on different cell types, allowing the delivery of specific vaccines to be prioritized according to public health needs.
Promega Corporation opened the 283,000-sf Kornberg Center in April of 2021 in Fitchburg, Wis. Designed by Ramlow/Stein and SmithGroup, the three-story facility provides advanced laboratories for core product and technology development in cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry, genetic identity, clinical diagnostics, and scientific applications.
Arizona State University and Wexford Science+Technology opened the PBC Innovation Center on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in March of 2021. Strategically collocating academic investigators with private companies to foster collaboration and discovery, the 225,000-sf facility provides wet and dry lab environments, offices, meeting spaces, and retail amenities.
The University of California, Santa Barbara broke ground on a $97 million academic building in March of 2021. Designed by LMN Architects as a vibrant hub of educational activity, the 95,000-sf facility will provide five lecture halls, 20 flexible teaching venues, and three active learning spaces. Increasing UCSB's classroom capacity by 35 percent, the 2,000-seat structure will integrate leading-edge instructional technologies to enable innovative pedagogies and project-based learning.
The Olivia Business Centre was awarded the highest WELL Health-Safety Rating in March of 2021 by the International WELL Building Institute. Located in Gdańsk, Poland, the eight-building corporate park offers 2.5 million sf of world-class office space and accommodates over 200 companies. Achieving 25 out of 25 available points in all WELL Health-Safety categories, the complex leverages advanced infrastructure to continue operations safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Features include:
The University of California, Irvine opened the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building in February of 2021. Designed by LMN Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 204,750-sf facility houses the Samueli School of Engineering, the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Science, and the School of Physical Sciences.
California State University, Chico dedicated the $101 million Science Building in March of 2021. Designed by SmithGroup with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 110,200-sf structure features active learning classrooms and teaching labs for chemistry, physics, geology, and environmental sciences.
Heriot Watt University began construction in March of 2021 on the National Robotarium in Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. Designed by Michael Laird Architects, the 40,000-sf building will accommodate innovative research programs in robotics, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence. Created in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, the center of excellence will enable academics, engineers, and industry partners to address a wide range of global challenges.
The University of Cincinnati began construction in March of 2021 on a $45.6 million renovation and expansion of Linder Hall to create a new home for the College of Law. Designed by Perkins+Will and BHDP Architecture, the project will repurpose and enlarge the 84,443-sf structure to create a 116,635-sf facility featuring a two-story lobby atrium, three flexible 50-seat classrooms, a 90-seat classroom, and a 160-seat auditorium that can function as an appellate courtroom.
North Carolina State University completed construction in February of 2021 on the $150 million Fitts-Woolard Hall in Raleigh. The 225,000-sf teaching and research facility provides over 100 classrooms and laboratories for the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering and the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
James Cook University began construction in March of 2021 on the AUD$94 million Technology Innovation Complex in Townsville, Queensland. Designed by KIRK Architects in association with i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects, the four-story, 101,180-sf building will provide flexible multimodal environments for STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
San Francisco State University will begin construction in summer of 2021 on the $169 million Science & Engineering Innovation Center. Comprising 125,000 sf of new construction and 54,000 sf of renovated space, the 179,000-sf facility will provide the College of Science and Engineering with leading-edge labs and classrooms, as well as offering informal interaction spaces, interdisciplinary lecture halls, and active learning classrooms that will be accessible to the entire campus community.
The University of British Columbia is planning to construct the CAD$136 million School of Biomedical Engineering Building on the Point Grey campus in Vancouver. The 151,305-gsf facility will accommodate teaching and research labs, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, and offices. Featuring innovative learning venues for undergraduate and graduate programs, the building will provide classrooms, a 250-seat lecture hall, and a central atrium for informal learning and interaction.
