Sustainability

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.

Piedmont Virginia Community College is planning to build the $20 million Advanced Technical Training Center in Charlottesville, Va. Designed by VMDO as a vibrant hub for academic life, the 45,000-sf facility will provide instructional spaces, administrative offices, and labs for advanced manufacturing, robotics, forensics, and cybersecurity. Offering improved outdoor public areas, the building will include a café and space for student groups. Construction is slated to begin in November of 2020 with completion expected in 2022.

The University of Pennsylvania broke ground in June of 2019 on the $46 million Tangen Hall in Philadelphia. Designed by KSS Architects, the seven-story, 768,000-sf building will house the Integrated Product Design Program, the Venture Lab, the Goergen Entrepreneurial Management Program, the Weiss Tech House, the Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Research Center, and space for the Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship program.

Colorado State University will break ground in early 2020 on the $200 million National Western Center Campus in Denver. The 250-acre site will be redeveloped to house three new buildings accommodating research and experiential education programs on global issues including water, food, sustainability, and human and animal health.