Research: Biomedical

Designing and building labs in the unlikely and constrained location of the prestigious Pacific Design Center (PDC) with Hollywood as a backdrop is a daunting task, requiring adherence to quality expectations, facilities management guidelines in a non-research environment, separation from existing high-end tenants, and compliance with infrastructure requirements. Cedars-Sinai, one of the largest nonprofit medical centers in the U.S., accepted the challenge after deciding to expand its research portfolio. Growing beyond its limited campus is necessary to accommodate the rapid growth of its research facilities and to aid in recruiting top scientists by providing innovative facilities with optimum resources. Hospital officials looked a half mile from their campus to the PDC, a designated cultural resource building complex designed by Cesar Pelli in the 1970s. Known in the 1980s and 1990s as a vibrant hub of premier art, design, and architectural showrooms, many of the tenants now have online shops rather than physical space in the cluster of buildings, leaving vacancies available for lease and an opportunity for Cedars-Sinai’s growth.

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.

Texas A&M University broke ground in June of 2025 on the Linda & Dennis Clark ’68 Small Animal Teaching Hospital in College Station. Designed by Page and Foil Wyatt Architects and Planners, the $181 million project will provide the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) with a translational hub for innovation that will contribute to the wellbeing of animals and humans alike.

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.

Old Dominion University broke ground in April of 2025 on the Biological Sciences Building in Norfolk, Va. Representing the largest capital construction project in the institution's history, the $184 million development will enable students and faculty to explore a wide range of biomedical and ecological fields. Ballinger and VMDO Architects designed the 162,586-sf structure, which will provide flexible research labs for up to 30 investigators, teaching labs, core facilities, classrooms, and a 120-seat lecture hall.

Cornell University celebrated the opening of Atkinson Hall in April of 2025 in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Lake|Flato and SWBR as a nexus for impact-driven research across disciplinary boundaries, the $54 million facility addresses the diverse needs of four unique programs, all of which are university-wide in scope.

The University of California, Davis celebrated the opening of a $1.1 billion destination for collaborative discovery in May of 2025 in Sacramento. Spanning 767,000 sf, the first phase of Aggie Square was designed by ZGF Architects as the flagship for a new model of innovation district that strategically collocates academic, industry, and community partners not only in the same building, but in many cases on the same floor.

Huntsman Cancer Institute broke ground on the Vineyard Comprehensive Cancer Center in April of 2025 in Vineyard, Utah. Designed by Architectural Nexus and Sasaki, the 272,000-sf facility will expand access to world-class treatment for the rapidly growing population in the state and the greater Mountain West region. The five-story clinical care building will be connected to a three-story research structure by a community engagement and education hub with conference rooms.

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.

University of Chicago Medicine is constructing the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion to catalyze high-impact research programs and reimagine the spectrum of patient care. CannonDesign is partnering with Yazdani Studio and Blue Cottage on the $815 million project, which will be the first freestanding structure in Illinois dedicated solely to cancer treatment and research. Teams of clinicians, investigators, and physician-scientists will come together to optimize patient outcomes.

Imperial College London is planning to construct the pioneering Fleming Centre to accelerate groundbreaking research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Envisioned as a global beacon for healthcare change, the highly flexible building will bring leading investigators, clinicians, and behavioral experts together with pharmaceutical partners and domestic and international policymakers.

The past few decades have brought myriad technological changes to our daily lives, and experts predict the pace of change will only increase—especially in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Much of the talk surrounding AI focuses on automating repetitive processes and analyzing data, which require additional computational power but not necessarily structural modifications. But emerging technologies, including AI and robotics, may require universities and companies to rethink their approach to designing and planning buildings and labs.

Missouri University of Science and Technology is planning to construct the Bioplex, a $130 million facility for advanced research and education in life sciences, biomedicine, and biomedical engineering. ZGF Architects is partnering with Christner Architects to design the 128,000-gsf structure, which represents the final phase of the Havener Arrival Complex. The multidisciplinary building will provide lab environments for 24 research teams, including wet bench labs and associated support spaces, as well as an ABSL-2 vivarium.

The vision of biomedical research as a collective effort is resoundingly clear in the $237.5 million Pelotonia Research Center, the first building to be completed in the 350-plus-acre Carmenton district on the campus of The Ohio State University (Ohio State) in Columbus. Opened in May 2023, the center integrates almost 100,000 sf of wet labs, 25,000 sf of computational labs, and 20,000 sf of core labs in a single facility designed to host interdisciplinary collaborations and public-private initiatives that focus on solving some of the most critical health challenges. With life science as the backbone of the research endeavor, current projects range from modeling cancer progressions to 3D printing of patient-specific anatomic models.