The University of Delaware opened a $180 million science and innovation facility in April of 2025 to catalyze interdisciplinary discovery and expand educational capacity. Built on the former site of McKinley Hall in Newark, the 132,500-sf building houses research and teaching labs with damp and dry functionalities, faculty offices and student workspaces, and conference rooms.
Purdue University broke ground on a $168 million facility for the Mitch Daniels School of Business in April of 2025 in West Lafayette, Ind. Designed by Gensler and BSA, the 164,000-gsf structure will feature sophisticated labs for behavioural research, financial training, and data visualization. Dynamic conference venues will be accompanied by studios enabling online and hybrid pedagogies.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison broke ground on the Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center in April of 2025. Designed by SmithGroup, Continuum Architects + Planners, and Ring & DuChateau, the $420 million facility will enable the College of Engineering to accommodate 1,000 additional students each year to address growing demand. Standing seven stories above grade with one basement level, the 395,000-gsf structure will offer 211,000 asf of collaborative teaching and research space.
The College of William & Mary opened a $76 million expansion of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in April of 2025 in Gloucester Point, Va. Designed by Baskervill, Chesapeake Bay Hall provides a new home for the Institute's four academic departments: Aquatic Health Sciences, Biological Sciences, Fisheries Science, and Physical Sciences.
Where ideas go, campus architecture follows. For the University of California, Irvine, one of those moments arrived in 2022, with the completion of its new Health Science & Nursing facility, a 205,000-sf complex designed to promote the practical and philosophical priorities of integrative health—a new holistic approach to health and wellness.
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?
Dublin City University opened the €80 million ($90.9 million) Polaris building in April of 2025 in Ireland. The five-story learning hub was designed by Sheppard Robson and Mullarkey Pederson Architects to drive excellence and innovation in STEM education and research.
The University of Texas at El Paso opened the $80 million Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace Center (AMAC) in April of 2025. Designed by Treanor and Ayers Saint Gross to catalyze discovery and innovation, the leading-edge facility provides sophisticated environments for research, teaching, and hands-on learning. Spanning 98,000 sf, the highly flexible structure houses the College of Engineering’s Aerospace Center and W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation.
Fresno City College opened the $87 million Science Building in March of 2025 to expand instructional capacity for students seeking to enter in-demand STEM professions. Designed by Lionakis, the 87,000-sf facility provides technology-enabled laboratories and instructional venues for courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering. The three-story structure features a maker space sponsored by Chevron, flexible study environments, and tutoring areas.
Purdue University broke ground on the $187 million Academic Success Building in Indianapolis in April of 2025. Designed by Perkins&Will and Browning Day, the 248,000-sf facility will optimize student outcomes through experiential education, and foster connections with corporate partners and the local community. Four floors of the 15-story structure will provide active learning classrooms, wet and dry STEM laboratories, and maker spaces.
Simmons University is partnering with Skanska to create Longwood Place, a vibrant nexus for research, work, and community engagement in Boston. Featuring 2.6 acres of public space, the mixed-use project will leverage sophisticated amenities to transform the district into a destination for economic growth and innovation. The redevelopment of the university’s residential campus in Fenway will provide over 1.3 million sf of Class A lab and office environments, retail and community venues, and approximately 380 housing units.
McGill University is nearing the end of a 10-year project to construct 500,000 sf of research and teaching space on the site of a century-old hospital. The heritage wings of the former hospital will be rehabilitated, and state-of-the-art research and teaching functions will be accommodated in the new construction that is carefully inserted into the site. Renovated space totals 150,000 sf, with 380,000 sf of new construction. Construction is under way, and the building is set for completion in 2028, at a cost of $870 million (Canadian).
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.
The University of British Columbia opened a CAD 139.4 million (USD 100.3 million) facility for the School of Biomedical Engineering in April of 2025 in Vancouver, Canada. Designed by Patkau Architects and Architecture49, the 158,000-sf Gordon B. Shrum Building enables hands-on education and training for students in the life sciences and catalyzes innovative solutions for pressing health challenges.
The University of Mannheim officially broke ground in March of 2025 on a €39.5 million ($42.5 million) data center in Germany. Designed by Wulf Architekten to accommodate the university’s IT department, the leading-edge facility will feature modern workspaces for up to 150 occupants. From a vibrant central atrium, a seating staircase with integrated meeting areas will connect all floors of the four-story structure to foster social exchange.
