Higher Education

The University of Virginia is constructing the $350 million Paul and Diane Manning Institute for Biotechnology in Charlottesville to catalyze breakthroughs in the fields of cellular therapy, gene therapy, nanotechnology, and drug delivery. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, the flexible building will provide 355,809 sf of space for leading-edge laboratories, core facilities, advanced manufacturing suites, and clinical environments.

Northern Kentucky University is expanding and renovating the Dorothy Westerman Herrmann Science Center in Highland Heights. Designed by Omni Architects and Flad Architects, the $86 million facility will enhance the delivery of STEM+Health programs, accommodate growing enrollment, and drive regional workforce development. The addition of an 85,400-sf wing will consolidate several academic departments under one roof, including Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Physics, Geology & Engineering Technology.

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground in November of 2025 on the Bakar Labs for Energy + Materials to establish beacon for excellence in entrepreneurship. The 146,000-sf facility will provide world-class wet laboratories and collaboration space for research initiatives and up to 75 early-stage companies. Designed by Gensler to ensure flexibility and adaptability through a reconfigurable framework, the five-story structure will house 3D printing studios, offices, and meeting and conference rooms.

The University of Texas at Austin is constructing the Autry C. Stephens Engineering Discovery Building as a vibrant new home for the departments of Chemical Engineering and Petrol & Geosystems Engineering. Designed by CO Architects and BGK Architects, the $316 million facility will further the Cockrell School of Engineering’s mission to educate future leaders, promote innovation, and foster industry partnerships within the energy sector.

When it was proposed in 2019, repurposing underutilized space at the University of Georgia for an industry partner’s fermentation lab appeared to be a good deal for everyone involved. It was a win for the pharmaceutical company that wanted to contract with the university to help it develop new products and needed a fermentation lab that met, at a minimum, biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) standards. It was a plus for staff at the university’s Bioexpression and Fermentation Facility who would perform the work. It represented an advance for the university that wanted to form new industry relationships and had available space at its Athens, Ga. campus inside the Animal Health Research Center (AHRC). And it was a win for the AHRC, a 75,000-sf biocontainment facility that would host a new industry partner in addition to other laboratories performing BSL-2, animal biosafety level 2 (ABSL-2), biosafety level 3 (BSL-3), animal biosafety level 3 (ABSL-3), and animal biosafety level 3-agricultural (ABSL-3Ag) research work.

Santa Monica College officially opened the Mathematics + Science Building in November of 2025 in California to elevate STEM education. Designed by Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign, the 110,000-sf facility brings together the departments of earth sciences, mathematics, life sciences, and physical sciences to spark interdisciplinary collaboration and discovery.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham opened the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building in October of 2025. Designed by William Blackstock Architects, the $78 million project involved the renovation and expansion of the existing Lyons-Harrison Research Building to accommodate leading-edge labs, computational suites, meeting rooms, offices, and purpose-built venues for innovation and collaboration.

Three projects designed by Stantec were shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival, which convened in Miami in November of 2025. 

Arizona State University opened the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ISTB 12) in October of 2025, creating a vibrant gateway to the Polytechnic campus in Mesa. Designed by SmithGroup, the 173,194-gsf facility houses the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering’s new School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks. The three-story development will accelerate work in additive manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence, cyber manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing, and clean energy.

The University of Minnesota opened a reimagined undergraduate chemistry education facility in October 2025 on its Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. Transforming the historic Fraser Hall, a 97-year-old law library, the $144.7 million project comprised the demolition of selected portions of the building, 30,730 gsf of renovation, and 91,350 sf of new construction. A mechanical penthouse was also created. 

Academic STEM facilities need the flexibility to accommodate an expanding range of disciplines and pedagogical methods while equipped with an adaptable infrastructure responsive to occupancy shifts and technology advances. Today’s projects often span the complexity spectrum, from soft spaces and graduate student workstations outside the lab to a zero-point energy (ZPE) environment for quantum physics research or an engineering lab housing a wind tunnel. While the terms “flexibility” and “adaptability” are often used interchangeably to describe the requirements of a lab building, planners at Research Facilities Design (RFD) draw a clear distinction between the two. In their context, flexibility is what occurs below the ceiling, for example, movable casework that allows a lab to accommodate new equipment or new research opportunities. Adaptability refers to what happens above the ceiling, such as robust MEP systems, well-organized ductwork and piping racks, and spare capacity at the electrical panel to support new or expanded programs in the building. 

Rowan University opened the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine in October of 2025 on its West Campus in Mullica Hill, N.J. Supported by $75 million in state funding, the pioneering facility addresses an increased national demand for veterinary professionals and advances the wellbeing of animals and humans in alignment with the One Health initiative.

Wayne State University broke ground in September of 2025 on the Health Sciences Research Building (HSRB) in Detroit to drive innovation and address regional healthcare disparities. Designed by HKS, the 160,000-sf structure will accommodate leading-edge laboratories for the study of oncology, neuroscience, systems biology and immunology, and metabolism and infectious diseases.

Construction is nearing completion on Samuel Merritt University’s health sciences education campus in Oakland, Calif. In addition to revitalizing the local economy, the 10-story tower will enable the university to double enrollment over the next decade to address the Bay Area’s critical shortage of healthcare workers by expanding the provider pipeline. The $240 million facility will feature 19 classrooms, a motion analysis center, and specialized teaching and research laboratories including a cadaver anatomy lab. 

Ancora L&G opened a $165 million life sciences center in October of 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. Located in the city’s I-95 innovation district, the 212,000-sf building accommodates 80,000 sf of world-class research space owned by and dedicated to the Rhode Island Department of Health.