Academic Medical

UC Davis Health broke ground in July of 2024 on the $3.75 billion California Tower in Sacramento. Designed by SmithGroup, the 907,000-sf complex will add a 14-story structure and a five-story pavilion to the existing medical center. The transformative development will provide 12 hybrid operating rooms, a state-of-the-art imaging center, and two helicopter landing decks. Ensuring comprehensive healthcare delivery in the region for the next 50 years, the resilient facility will supply 334 private inpatient rooms.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham broke ground on the Biomedical Research and Psychology Building in late June of 2024. Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, the $190 million development will provide the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology with wet and dry research environments and associated support spaces. The flexible and adaptable facility will incorporate activity-based layouts that enable users to access diverse work platforms that enhance creativity and productivity.

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) has completed three construction projects on its Burlington campus that will provide dynamic modalities for the delivery of world-class care. Margulies Perruzzi performed architectural services for all three developments at the tertiary academic medical center, complementing the numerous LHMC facilities that the firm has worked on in the past. Seamlessly integrating advanced technology with human-centric design, these capital initiatives are defining an environment engineered for optimal therapeutic impact.

East Los Angeles Community College District is planning to construct the $145 million Kinesiology, Wellness, and Athletic Complex in Monterey Park, Calif. Designed by HED, the 110,000-sf structure will act as a prominent campus gateway where students can connect with their peers, the local community, and the therapeutic power of nature. The biophilic facility will showcase the college’s health science programs to those attending sporting events, while catalyzing the evolution of the west campus as a destination for personal and social wellbeing.

Cleveland Clinic is planning to construct a 210,000-sf sports science facility that will also serve as the new home for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Populous designed the Global Peak Performance Center to support the health of athletes of all levels while positioning the city as an international destination for wellness. 

Johns Hopkins University broke ground in June of 2024 on a significant expansion of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. The South Building will rise next to the school’s existing home in the heart of the East Baltimore campus to accommodate growing programs while driving interaction between faculty, clinicians, and students.

Penn State Health began construction in June of 2024 on the fit-out of its comprehensive cancer center in Enola. Designed by Flad Architects, the 43,000-sf facility will ensure that patients can access world-class care delivered by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. The Penn State Health Cancer Center will feature a dedicated entrance on the ground level, inviting social spaces, advanced chemotherapy and radiation suites, and an onsite medical laboratory.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) will begin construction in summer of 2024 on the $120 million Healthcare Delivery & Innovation Building. Designed by RDG and Clark & Enersen, the 200,000-sf facility will provide state-of-the-art learning environments for the School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry. The six-story structure will feature advanced simulation suites and clinical training labs where the next generation of medical professionals will gain hands-on experience in the delivery of team-based care.

Washington State University Vancouver dedicated the $63.8 million Life Sciences Building in June of 2024. Designed by SRG + CannonDesign, the 60,000-sf facility collocates the university’s basic, translational, applied, and clinical health programs in a single integrated location. The three-story structure provides faculty research suites, classrooms and teaching labs for biology and chemistry, and specialized learning venues for courses in nursing, psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and molecular biology.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire broke ground on the $340.3 million Science and Health Sciences Building in June of 2024. Designed by HOK and Potter Lawson, the 330,000-sf facility will collocate STEM courses in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics with programs in nursing, psychology, pre-professional health sciences, and public health and environmental studies. The vibrant five-story structure will feature an accessible sixth level with a greenhouse, a telescope observatory dome, and a mechanical room.

The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School opened the $325 million New Education and Research Building in June of 2024 in Worcester. ZGF Architects and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge designed the 350,000-sf project to drive discovery in gene therapy, molecular medicine, and the neurosciences, as well as housing the departments of neurology and neurobiology.

Columbia University broke ground in late May of 2024 on the first all-electric biomedical research building in New York City. Designed by KPF, the 77,000-sf facility will drive innovation in genetic and genomic science to create new treatments for some of the most significant threats to human health today. The eight-story structure will feature state-of-the-art laboratories linked by "collaboration corners" with welcoming lounges for informal interaction and exchange.

The University of Arizona opened the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine in Tucson in April of 2024. Designed by Line and Space, the 30,000-sf complex comprises three buildings linked by landscaped pathways. MIND provides collaborative environments for research, innovation, and administration, complemented by BODY, a wellness hub with a movement studio and a demonstration kitchen, and SPIRIT, a serene space for mindfulness, meditation, and contemplation. 

A study of three academic medical centers constructed in 2009, 2014, and 2020 reveals little change in the square footage of research spaces over time but a radical change in how the square footage is being used. The result is research space that is more efficient, flexible, adaptable, and functional, with a higher percentage of space dedicated to lab support. The metrics gathered in this study can help guide lab planners as they look to the future.

With active learning classrooms, Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine was presented an opportunity to think differently about how to create spaces that support a different approach to instruction and interaction. Figuring out what works and what doesn’t in terms of acoustics, technology, lighting, and sightlines has demonstrated the importance of aligning the space—and the technology within it—with the pedagogy rather than the reverse.