Southern Research opened a $98 million biotechnology center in August of 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. Designed by HOK and Williams Blackstock Architects, the 150,000-sf building will advance research crucial to human health and address pressing biomedical threats. The five-level structure features BSL-3 laboratories spanning 7,500 sf that provide essential biocontainment capacity for the study of infectious diseases.
In the span of 16 months, Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center formulated and implemented a space realignment initiative that divested 30,000 sf of leased space, generated $2 million in savings and another $2 million in cost avoidance, and impacted approximately 1,400 people, 20% of its 7,000-member workforce.
Indiana University opened the $230 million Medical Education and Research Building (MERB) in June of 2025 in Indianapolis. Representing the largest construction project in the history of the School of Medicine, the 11-story, 326,200-gsf complex was designed by Perkins&Will and Browning Day as a dynamic hub for instruction, training, and discovery.
The University of Sydney celebrated the beginning of construction on the AU$780 million Sydney Biomedical Accelerator in May of 2025. Created in partnership with the Government of New South Wales and Sydney Local Health District, the 387,500-sf structure will forge a vital link between the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the university's Camperdown campus.
Ivanhoé Cambridge and Lendlease celebrated the completion of a $545 million life sciences center in Boston in June of 2025. Designed by SGA, FORUM strategically integrates Class A laboratory environments with collaborative workspaces and engaging community amenities. The 350,000-rsf facility offers flexible floor plates spanning 50,000 sf, supported by robust infrastructure to meet the demands of next-generation research programs.
Gilead Sciences is constructing the Cancer Research Center in Foster City to accelerate the creation of novel solutions for pressing medical challenges. Driven by the company's enterprise master plan, the project is part of a strategic initiative to develop an internal research infrastructure that advances discovery in key focus areas and brings new technological capabilities in-house. The 182,000-sf facility was designed by Gensler to catalyze synergies between 54 clinical programs spanning oncology, inflammation, and virology.
Designing higher education labs is sometimes as much about managing the chemicals that inhabit the space as it is about the scientists and their work in the lab. How hazardous are the chemicals? How are they stored, and what are the allowable quantities? How do you protect the researchers and occupants in adjacent spaces, both during normal lab operations and in an emergency? Is it possible to craft a code-compliant chemical management strategy that aligns with the current shift toward large open labs that foster interdisciplinary collaboration?
Denver University is planning to construct the STEM Horizons building to expand and accelerate vital research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the six-story structure will provide 87,000 sf of new and renovated space for hands-on learning, research, business incubation, and community partnerships.
Biogen is planning to centralize its operations with a 580,000-sf global headquarters in the Kendall Common development in Cambridge, Mass. Representing a 15-year lease agreement, the facility’s strategic location will strengthen existing partnerships with MIT in research, education, and commercialization, and build on Biogen’s legacy as an integral part of the Kendall Square ecosystem.
The new Research Building IV (RB4) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) in Columbus, Ohio, provides an ideal environment for productivity, collaboration, and flexibility by using a space policy to maximize the efficient use of labs and ancillary spaces; a neighborhood floor plan; and shared resources. The 290,000-sf building, which opened in May 2023 as part of NCH’s Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI), aligns with the hospital’s “one team” culture by providing opportunities for scientists to collaborate, propelling pediatric research forward and closing the gap between lab research and bedside care.
Utah State University is constructing a new facility for the College of Veterinary Medicine to advance animal health, biomedical sciences, and public health. The 106,000-sf Veterinary Medical Education Building will accommodate growing programs and drive groundbreaking research, providing comprehensive training for the professionals needed to support Utah’s agricultural sector. Representing an investment of approximately $77 million, the state-funded structure will offer an additional 4,055 sf of lab space between two teaching labs.
Though universities may update master plans every five or 10 years, many find planning works best when it is continual and flexible to accommodate program and leadership changes. A number of projects at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort Worth demonstrate the need to assess existing spaces and develop plans for growth and flexibility, as well as the benefits of building long-term relationships with architects and other vendors.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is planning to create a vibrant destination for education, research, and innovation in Kips Bay that is supported by $1.6 billion in state and city funding. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is the master planner for the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC), a first-of-its-kind learning and training center that will offer up to two million sf of academic, public health, and life science space.
Moderna completed construction on a £150 million complex in the United Kingdom for the discovery and production of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19 and emerging respiratory health threats. Located on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) comprises two 145,000-sf buildings for research, development, and manufacturing.
The successful decarbonization of labs and other critical science environments to increase energy efficiency, occupant safety, and annual savings requires a goal-oriented project team with the cultural mindset to adopt effectual technology/engineering processes, procurement strategies, and incentive-based outcomes. Science and engineering facilities often encounter substantial obstacles, such as cost restraints, safety issues, restrictive regulations, and tight deadlines, when completing the massive energy transition necessary to decarbonize their labs.
