The University of Cincinnati opened the $61 million Health Sciences Building in September of 2019. Designed by Perkins+Will and Moody Nolan, the 117,000-sf facility accommodates interprofessional education programs for the College of Allied Health Sciences. A curved glass curtainwall allows abundant natural light to illuminate the four-story structure, which offers flexible lecture halls, classrooms, and labs for interactive learning.
BioMed Realty and the University of California, San Diego opened the $92 million Center for Novel Therapeutics in September of 2019. Located on the Science Research Park campus in San Diego, the 137,500-sf translational research facility enables investigators from the UCSD Moores Cancer Center to collaborate with pharmaceutical partners on the creation of innovative cancer treatments. The center also houses the city's first academic-industry drug discovery incubator.
Ball State University is constructing the $87.5 million Foundational Sciences Building in Muncie, Ind. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the 205,000-sf facility will provide 28 teaching labs, 44 research labs, six classrooms, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, faculty offices, computer labs, an imaging suite, and a research library. The five-story interdisciplinary building was designed by RATIO Architects to offer optimal flexibility and adaptability to accommodate changing programmatic needs.
The University of Warwick is planning to build the £54.3 million Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building in Coventry in the United Kingdom. Designed by Hawkins\Brown, the 75,000-sf facility will include flexible open labs for up to 300 researchers, a 400-seat lecture hall, a café, a large public entrance, and exhibition space. The five-story building will offer a central ‘lab village’ core, with offices and collaboration zones located on the perimeter to activate the façade.
Lafayette College opened the $75 million Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center in August of 2019 in Easton, Pa. Designed by Payette to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the 103,000-sf facility houses the departments of biology, computer science, and environmental studies and science, as well as accommodating programs in neuroscience and engineering.
The University of Lethbridge opened the CAD$280 million Science Commons in September of 2019 in Lethbridge, Alberta. Collocating the departments of biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and physics and astronomy, the transdisciplinary building provides flexible teaching and research labs, academic classrooms, meeting rooms, gathering areas, and a central atrium. Designed by Stantec and KPMB, the 387,500-sf facility includes a community education venue with interactive science displays.
The University of Cincinnati opened the $120 million Carl H. Linder School of Business in August of 2019. Designed by Henning Larsen Architects and KZF Design, the four-story, 225,000-sf building features a three-story atrium, a 250-seat auditorium, and a 150-seat, two-story lecture hall. The collaborative structure offers flexible classrooms of various sizes, research labs, exam and tutoring areas, numerous huddle and breakout rooms, a range of open workspaces, and over 160 faculty and staff offices.
Amgen broke ground in late July of 2019 on a $200 million biomanufacturing center in West Greenwich, R.I. Featuring a highly flexible, modular design, the next-generation facility will leverage advanced technologies to reduce operational expenses, consume 80 percent less energy and water, and achieve a 75 percent decrease in carbon emissions.
The University of Colorado Boulder opened the $101 million Aerospace Engineering Sciences Building in August of 2019. Designed by HCM (Hord Coplan Macht) and RATIO Architects, the collaborative 178,294-sf facility provides bioastronautics labs, high bay spaces, workshops, fabrication suites, interactive classrooms, faculty offices, a 200-seat auditorium, and an indoor flight environment for unmanned aircraft.
Temple University opened the $175.8 million Charles Library in August of 2019 in Philadelphia. Designed by Snøhetta and Stantec, the 220,000-sf facility features an automated storage retrieval system (ASRS) to access the 2.5 million volumes stored in the building. To encourage interaction and collaboration among students and faculty, the library includes an expansive three-story atrium, a café, and a zone that is open 24 hours a day.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham opened the $39 million University Hall in August of 2019. Designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood, the 109,110-sf facility offers leading-edge learning environments for the College of Arts & Sciences. The two-wing structure houses the departments of anthropology, computer and information sciences, English, foreign languages and literatures, mathematics, philosophy, and social work. The technology-rich building provides spacious classrooms, a 300-seat auditorium, performance areas, and administrative offices.
St. Louis Community College opened the $39 million Center for Nursing & Health Sciences in August of 2019 in St. Louis. Designed by KAI Design & Build, the four-story, 96,000-sf facility offers teaching labs, classrooms, flexible learning spaces, and a dental clinic. Accommodating 11 health programs, the center will serve approximately 900 students and is expected to attain LEED Gold sustainable design certification.
The University of Minnesota Duluth opened the $44.6 million Heikkila Chemistry and Advanced Materials Science Building in August of 2019. Designed by BWBR Architects to put science on display, the three-story, 56,100-gsf facility provides 12 chemistry research labs, five teaching labs, 11 collaboration areas, 22 faculty offices, and five graduate student work rooms. The Advanced Materials Center offers tools and training suites to support programs in 3D printing and microelectronics.
The University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory opened the Square Kilometre Array Global Headquarters in July of 2019 in Macclesfield in the United Kingdom. Designed by Hassell to support collaborative research in radio astronomy, the 45,200-sf facility will act as a global nexus for astrophysics, accommodating over 1,000 investigators from 16 countries.
The Passive House building standard is considered the most rigorous, voluntary energy-based design and construction standard in the industry. Consuming 40 to 90 percent less energy than conventional buildings for heating and cooling, Passive House traditionally has been used in single-family homes, commercial buildings, schools, and office buildings, but the standard is making new strides toward application in energy-intensive laboratory buildings as well. While achieving true Passive House-level performance in a large-scale lab facility is still a far distant (if possible) goal, many of the standard’s fundamental design approaches can be used to significantly reduce energy consumption while improving occupant comfort and air quality.
