Research and Development

The University of Utah broke ground in late March of 2016 on the $55 million Gary & Ann Crocker Science Center in Salt Lake City. Providing interdisciplinary science labs, lecture halls, classrooms, an atrium, and a business incubator, the four-story facility will house the Center for Cell and Genome Science and the Center for Science and Math Education. The 123,500-sf project includes renovation of the existing 71,000-sf George Thomas building and construction of a 52,500-sf addition.

The United States Navy broke ground in March of 2016 on a $22 million facility for the submarine launched ballistic missile (SBLM) program. Located in Dahlgren, Va., the project will provide advanced laboratories, offices, and technological instrumentation for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. The center will house over 300 staff in the Strategic and Computing Systems Department engaged in the development, testing, and maintenance of defense software.

South Dakota State University is building two new large animal research facilities. Construction began in October of 2014 on the $6 million Swine Education and Research Facility, which will include a classroom, boar and sow housing, research space, and a biosecure glass observation area. The $6 million Cow-Calf Education and Research Facility, slated for completion in spring of 2016, will provide offices, laboratory space, conference rooms, livestock evaluation pens, a monoslope research building, and replicated pastures.

Su Yat-sen University broke ground in March of 2016 on a 323,000-sf gravitational wave research facility in Zhuhai, China. The project will feature a 108,000-sf cave laboratory built to attain stringent vibration requirements and a 5,400-sf observation station. The lab is part of the $2.3 billion Tianqin research project that will be developed in four phases over the next two decades. Gravitational wave data will eventually be collected by three high-orbit satellites and relayed to the facility for analysis.

CoorsTek began building a $120 million research and manufacturing center in March of 2016 in Golden, Colo. The 300,000-sf facility will provide design labs, testing suites, and production space for the manufacture of ceramic components used in the automotive, defense, and semiconductor industries. The project is being built by Mortenson Construction and is expected to be fully operational by 2018.

The University of Lincoln began construction in March of 2016 on the $23 million Isaac Newton Building in the United Kingdom. The project includes the renovation of the existing engineering hub and construction of an 81,000-sf addition. The completed facility will feature a Faraday cage, a semi-anechoic chamber, and a 500-seat lecture hall. Occupancy is expected in early 2017. The University of Lincoln is also in the process of designing the $18 million, 60,000-sf Sarah Swift Building to house the departments of Psychology and Health & Social Care.

The University of Missouri is renovating Lafferre Hall in Columbia. Housing the College of Engineering, the completed facility will feature upgraded laboratories, collaborative study areas, and shell space on the third floor to allow for future expansion. Supported by $38.5 million in state funding, the project will provide flexible teaching and research space for programs in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Asahi Kasei Chemicals will break ground in July of 2016 on a $27 million research complex at its Mizushima Works campus in Okayama, Japan. Consolidating and expanding the company's R&D facilities, the project will enable the development of new technologies for the health care, energy, and environmental science sectors. Designed to promote collaboration and innovation, the complex will include laboratories for petrochemical processing, catalyst chemistry, and organic/inorganic synthesis.

Webster University began construction in March of 2016 on the $44 million Interdisciplinary Science Building in St. Louis. Designed to accommodate STEAMM programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, math, and medicine, the collaborative facility will house the departments of Anthropology, Sociology, Biological Sciences, Nursing, Psychology, and International Languages and Cultures.

WuXi PharmaTech will begin construction in spring of 2015 on a 145,000-sf cGMP facility in Philadelphia. The project is expected to be operational by mid-2016 and will support the manufacture of cell therapy products for personalized medicine, including chimeric antigen receptor T cells.

Augsburg College broke ground in April of 2016 on the $70 million Hagfors Center for Science, Business and Religion. The four-story, 135,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, labs, and offices for the departments of biology, business, chemistry, computer science, math, physics, psychology, and religion. The interdisciplinary project was designed by HGA Architects to provide maximum flexibility in an environment saturated with natural light.

Oregon Health & Sciences University began construction in January of 2016 on the $349 million Center for Health and Healing South in Portland, Ore. Designed by ZGF Architects and built by Hoffman Construction, the project includes a 14-story medical building and a 10-story mixed-use facility. The $160 Knight Cancer Institute will also be built on the South Waterfront Campus.

Penn State University’s Millennium Science Complex is a state-of-the-art 297,000-sf facility that combines the Materials Research Institute with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences to create an interdisciplinary research center for advancing science through diverse relationships. The facility serves as a valuable equipment and resource hub for thousands of researchers from Penn State and other organizations—including academic, government labs, and industry—who are at the leading edge of materials science, nanofabrication, and other disciplines.

3M opened a $150 million research and development laboratory in March of 2016 in St. Paul, Minn. Sited on 10 acres, the collaborative 470,000-sf facility will accommodate up to 750 scientists from across 3M's industries, including electronic materials solutions, safety and graphics, and aerospace and commercial transportation. The four-story laboratory was designed by BWBR Architects and built by Kraus-Anderson Construction.

The University of Idaho is building the $50 million Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) on its Moscow campus. Featuring flexible laboratories for interdisciplinary research, the collaborative 70,000-sf project will include a state-of-the art visualization suite, offices, conference rooms, and core labs with shared equipment. Ground was broken on the center in August of 2014, and completion is expected in fall of 2016 with occupancy in early 2017. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.