Universities are creating spaces that merge engineering and health sciences education to produce doctors who not only can treat their patients but also can design innovative medical devices to solve the problems they encounter.
Virginia Tech opened the $79 million Data and Decision Sciences Building in October of 2023 in Blacksburg. Designed by Moseley Architects, the 120,000-gsf facility features technology-rich learning environments for programs in computer science, engineering, statistics, and other data-related fields. Fostering interaction between multiple colleges and departments, the transdisciplinary structure provides nine flexible classrooms, 32 student team rooms, 75 faculty offices, conference rooms, and specialized labs for data visualization and analysis.
SKS Partners is planning to construct the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park in Mountain View. Representing a joint venture with the University of California, Berkeley, the 36-acre innovation hub at Moffett Field will catalyze technological breakthroughs spanning astronautics, aeronautics, quantum computing, climate studies, and the social sciences.
The University of Georgia dedicated the $54.1 million Poultry Science Building in Athens in October of 2023. Designed by Flad Architects, the 70,000-sf structure provides leading-edge facilities for programs in avian biology, genetics, nutrition, and product safety. The transformative development provides the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences with state-of-the-art classrooms, teaching labs, BSL-2 research labs, demonstration areas, conference rooms, and offices for faculty and staff.
The University of Texas at Austin broke ground in August of 2023 on the $261 million Engineering Discovery Building. Designed by CO Architects, the 210,000-gsf facility will provide a vibrant new home for the departments of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering. The seven-story structure will accommodate programs in novel biomaterials, chemical synthesis, geomechanics, and production engineering – all supported by robust computational capabilities.
The University of California, San Francisco is planning to construct the $842 million Research and Academic Building on its Parnassus Heights campus. Designed by HGA and Snøhetta to foster interdisciplinary exchange and discovery, the 300,000-gsf facility will provide advanced laboratories for programs in oncology, microbiology, immunology, and cell biology.
The trend toward multidisciplinary science education facilities necessitates designs that are flexible and adaptable, with larger uniform lab modules and large spaces that can be divided into smaller rooms when needed.
Providence College broke ground in late September of 2023 on the Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 125,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, active learning environments, faculty innovation labs, and a 100-seat auditorium. Featuring state-of-the-art anatomy and physiology labs with Anatomage tables, the five-story building will include clinical simulation suites with augmented and virtual reality technologies to enable immersive, experiential education.
The University of California, Riverside opened the $100 million School of Medicine Education Building II in September of 2023. Created by the design-build team of CO Architects and Hensel Phelps, the 95,478-gsf facility offers 56,500 asf of innovative learning and support space. The first three floors of the five-story structure are dedicated to instruction and collaboration, augmented by sophisticated audiovisual technologies throughout.
Centennial College opened the CAD$112 million A-Building in September of 2023 in Toronto. Acting as a gateway to the school's Progress Campus in Scarborough, the highly sustainable project has attained LEED Gold certification and is the first zero-carbon, mass-timber facility at an institution of higher education in Canada. Construction of a 130,000-sf addition and the renovation of 15,000 sf of existing space has created a vibrant academic hub for the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science.
The University of Toronto was able to repurpose leased space in an off-campus office tower into biosafety research labs for its Temerty Faculty of Medicine by implementing innovative HVAC solutions and modular design. Filtered ductless fume hoods obviated the need to vent exhaust up 20 stories to the roof, and a flexible floorplan can accommodate fluctuating research teams.
Cornell Tech’s MakerLAB on Roosevelt Island, N.Y., is more than doubling in size after just five years, drawing makers from seven graduate programs, doctoral students, and the city at large.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center broke ground in late September of 2023 on the $668 million South Campus Research Building 5 in Houston. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects to catalyze biomedical discovery and innovation, the 600,000-sf structure will anchor the institutions's R&D campus at the Texas Medical Center's Helix Park. Housing the James P.
Rice University opened the Ralph S. O'Connor Building for Engineering and Science in September of 2023 in Houston. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with Scientia Architects as laboratory design consultant, the $152 million facility provides maker spaces, seminar rooms, a dedicated prototyping center, two classrooms, and nearly 50 labs. Flexible office areas include touchdown spaces for faculty, graduate students, and staff. Housing the George R.
University of Chicago Medicine broke ground in September of 2023 on an $815 million cancer center that will provide world-class environments for research and treatment. CannonDesign's architectural vision for the freestanding facility will radically elevate the patient experience by bringing together clinicians, investigators, and physician-scientists to optimize the delivery of team-based care.
