Research and Development

The University of Cambridge is planning to build a $125 million biomedical research facility in the United Kingdom. The six-story, 190,000-sf Project Capella will house the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, the Milner Therapeutics Institute, the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease, and the Cambridge Centre for Haematopoiesis and Haematological Malignancies. Lean construction methodology will be implemented in the delivery of the facility, which is slated for completion in the second quarter of 2018.

Saint-Gobain opened a $30 million research and development facility in Chennai in January of 2016. Located in the IIT-Madras Research Park, the 120,000-sf facility will support the creation of recycled building materials for modular housing projects. Pilot housing developments in four separate climatic regions have also been constructed so that the performance of different structures and materials may be evaluated.

The University of Toronto opened the $52.7 million Environmental Science and Chemistry Building in January of 2016. Located on the Scarborough campus in Toronto, the 110,000-sf facility was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and delivered with design-build construction partner EllisDon. Providing flexible teaching and research space for the study of climate change and environmental science, the five-story collaborative building houses classrooms, laboratories, and academic offices connected by a skylit forum and crossroads.

VU University Medical Center will begin construction in March of 2016 on the 172,222-sf VUmc Imaging Center Amsterdam. Providing flexible laboratories for biomedical research, the six-story facility will promote interaction and collaboration by collocating the hospital's radiology and nuclear medicine departments in a single location. The sustainably designed project will be constructed to attain a BREEAM Very Good rating by a joint venture of De Beeldbouwers VOF and Ballast Nedam.

Texas A&M University broke ground on the $12.6 million Human Clinical Research Facility in January of 2016. Located on the west campus in Canyon, Texas, the 20,000-sf project will accommodate clinical trials and programs for the College of Education and Human Development. Designed by PBK Architects, the facility will house the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory and the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity.

Legacy Health opened its $27 million headquarters and central laboratory facility in January of 2016 in Portland, Ore. The 62,000-sf building was sustainably designed to provide substantial energy savings and increased operational efficiencies. The project doubles the footprint of Legacy's previous location and will enable the company to expand to meet the growing demand for laboratory services.

The University of Cambridge is planning to relocate the Cavendish Laboratory to its West Cambridge campus in the United Kingdom. The $100 million replacement facility will feature a cleanroom, research laboratories, instructional space, and large-scale experimental chambers. The project team includes design architect Jestico + Whiles, project manager Sweett, engineering consultant Ramboll, and cost management consultant Aecom. Occupancy is expected in 2020.

The University of Texas at Dallas opened the $108 million Bioengineering and Sciences facility in June of 2016. Designed to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 220,000-sf project is physically connected to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Laboratory. The facility provides classrooms, faculty offices, and teaching and research labs for programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and electrical and mechanical engineering. Construction began on the project in late 2013.

The William Eckhardt Research Center creates a home for the University of Chicago’s new molecular engineering program and advances the university’s Nobel Prize-winning research in physical sciences. The diversity of research taking place in the facility extends from the sub-molecular scale to the expanses of the universe. Conducting this research are teams working across multiple disciplines in engineering, as well as the traditional materials and physical sciences.

The University of Wyoming opened the $50 million Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility in Laramie in January of 2016. Designed to promote team-based, interactive learning, the 107,000-sf building features studio-style classrooms and an atrium commons area. The three-story facility provides 32 teaching labs for instruction in chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, physics, mathematics, life sciences, and computer science. The building also houses an atmospheric sciences lab to support collaborative research with the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne.

Complex technology, expanding program, and increasingly specialized and segmented roles and responsibilities often create a disconnect in the process of designing and building sophisticated facilities. The result can be a research or diagnostic lab or high-containment animal building that becomes a burden to the owner, whether because it hasn’t been right-sized, is not energy efficient, or operates with sub-par reliability. The solution is to assign someone the task of aligning design decisions with the building’s ultimate scientific mission.

The University of St. Andrews is planning to build a $15 million marine research laboratory at East Sands in St. Andrews, Scotland. The 24,000-sf facility will act as a global oceanic research hub supporting the study of conservation and climate change. The project will accommodate the headquarters of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) as well as housing the Scottish Oceans Institute, including the Sea Mammal Research Unit.

OncoSec Medical Incorporated, a company developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, opened its new headquarters and research facility in San Diego in December of 2015. Consolidating three previous offices, the 34,000-sf project houses over 50 employees and all of OncoSec's discovery research, clinical, and administrative activities under one roof. The facility features approximately 15,000 sf of technology-rich lab space that is strategically arranged to optimize workflow and minimize potential disruptions.

Carleton University began construction in December of 2015 on a $52 million (USD$36.8 million) health sciences building in Ottawa. The seven-story, 120,000-sf facility will provide classrooms and open laboratories to support neuroscience and health sciences programs. The project will also include collaborative research space for the study of healthy aging and infectious diseases. Completion is expected in August of 2017.

Richard J. Daley College will begin construction in 2016 on a $75 million advanced manufacturing center in Chicago. The project will support the estimated 14,000 manufacturing jobs that are projected to come to Chicago in the next ten years. The facility will open in fall of 2018.