East Carolina University opened the $90 million Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building in November of 2021 in Greenville, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the 141,500-sf facility provides leading-edge wet and dry labs for programs in biotechnology, bioprocessing engineering, biophysics, environmental engineering, biofuels, plant biology, environmental biology, and imaging and sensor development.
The University of Mississippi broke ground in October of 2021 on the $175 million Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Oxford.
The University of Arizona broke ground in September of 2021 on the $99 million Grand Challenges Research Building in Tucson. Designed by ZGF Architects and BWS Architects, the 115,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide flexible labs for programs in optics, quantum computing, advanced communications, and biomedicine.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to begin construction in 2023 on a $225 million facility for the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. Catalyzing synergies between academic researchers and industry partners, the seven-story, 300,000-sf building will provide a dynamic nexus for Wisconsin’s growing tech ecosystem while meeting increased demand for programs in robotics, cybersecurity, software design, and machine learning.
Santa Clara University opened the $253.5 million Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation in September of 2021. Designed by ZGF Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 270,000-sf facility provides leading-edge teaching and research environments for STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Virginia Tech broke ground in fall of 2021 on the first academic building on its Innovation Campus in Alexandria. Designed by SmithGroup, the 300,000-gsf facility will offer experiential learning environments, maker spaces, flexible multipurpose areas, faculty offices, and research and testing labs for the school's graduate programs in computer science and engineering.
Washington State University Tri-Cities opened the $30 million Collaboration Hall in Richland in September of 2021. Designed by ZGF Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 40,000-sf facility features technology-rich teaching labs for programs in physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, and anatomy and physiology.
The U.S. Department of Energy will begin construction in fall of 2021 on the $19.5 million Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) in Golden, Colo. Located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's South Table Mountain campus, the 15,700-sf facility will provide 5,500 sf of flexible lab space for cross-disciplinary research at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, bioscience, and engineering.
Trinity College Dublin began construction in September of 2021 on the Martin Naughton E3 Learning Foundry in Ireland. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to promote collaboration and innovation, the six-story, 78,577-sf building will be shared by the schools of engineering, natural sciences, and computer science and statistics. Enabling a dynamic pedagogy of project-based learning, the $71 million interdisciplinary facility will offer maker spaces, studios, and interactive classrooms to support Trinity's Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies initiative.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology opened a $29 million academic building in September of 2021 in Terre Haute, Ind. Designed by RATIO Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 70,000-sf facility provides engineering design studios, flexible classrooms, collaborative workspaces, breakout rooms, and faculty innovation spaces.
Rice University began site work in summer of 2021 for the $152 million Engineering and Science Building in Houston. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with Scientia Architects as laboratory design consultant, the 266,000-sf structure will provide state-of-the-art labs, maker spaces, seminar rooms, interactive gathering areas, classrooms, and a dedicated prototyping facility. Flexible office areas will include touchdown spaces for faculty, graduate students, and staff.
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford broke ground on the $18 million Engineering & Information Technologies Building in August of 2021. Designed by HED and LPA Partners to enable team-based learning and discovery, the 39,000-sf facility will provide engineering labs and shops, computer labs, large group classrooms, a data center, and offices for faculty and staff. All building functions will open towards a two-story collaborative center to enhance interaction, visibility, and accessibility.
Florida State University broke ground in August of 2021 on the $88 million Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building in Tallahassee, Fla. Designed by HGA as an 'idea factory' for materials science discovery, the 116,000-sf project will provide open labs, core facilities, and collaboration venues for up to 30 research teams. The highly flexible and adaptable structure will collocate investigators with expertise in biomedical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, condensed matter physics, and device prototyping.
The Ohio State University is constructing the $237.5 million Interdisciplinary Research Facility in Columbus. Anchoring a new innovation district, the 305,000-sf building will accommodate biomedical, life sciences, engineering, and environmental science research programs. Designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners and Moody Nolan to foster interaction and collaboration, the five-story structure will provide wet labs, computational labs, core labs, a vivarium, and a variety of support spaces.
The University of Victoria will break ground in early 2022 on a CAD$89.6 million project to provide new facilities for the Department of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). A six-story addition to the existing ECS building will feature new laboratories and instructional venues for the university's growing programs in biomedical, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering. The adjacent High Bay Research and Structures Lab will enable large-scale experiments and the testing of new construction methods and materials.
