Research and Development

Metropolitan State University broke ground on the $60 million Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building in October of 2015 in Denver. Located on the Auraria campus, the 142,000-sf facility will support programs in industrial design, aviation and aerospace, engineering, computer science, and computer information systems. Featuring laboratories for advanced manufacturing and 3D printing, the building will support collaborative teaching and research with industry partners such as Lockheed Martin.

Adaptimmune is building a 67,000-sf biopharmaceutical R&D center in Abingdon in the United Kingdom. Designed by Nicholas Hare, the facility will provide laboratories, offices, and conference rooms for approximately 200 investigators and staff. Ground was broken on the project in October of 2015 and completion is expected in late 2016. The facility is located on the Milton Park technology campus and is being developed by MEPC.

Defense contractor Riverside Research completed a $7 million expansion of its Dayton campus in October of 2015. The project features the 20,200-sf Open Innovation Center, a collaborative and secure research environment providing multidisciplinary lab space for the study of computational electromagnetics, sensors, optical lasers, and space propulsion and communications. The 30,000-sf facility features a plasma chamber capable of simulating space conditions as well as an EMI-shielded suite.

The University of Glasgow opened the $35 million Sir Michael Stoker Building in October of 2015 on its Garscube campus in Scotland. Housing the Centre for Virus Research (CVR), the facility provides advanced laboratories for the study of human and veterinary virology. The building was created in partnership with the Medical Research Council and includes research offices and interaction areas. The project team included Sheppard Robson Architects, general contractor Laing O’Rourke, and engineering consultant Arup.

The siting of sensitive instruments in a research facility requires awareness of the electromagnetic field (EMF) environment and the various types and locations of emission sources. Some of the most difficult electromagnetic interference (EMI) challenges include DC and geomagnetic sources such as cars, trucks, subways, and trains, as well as facility elevators. The EMI footprint from the movement of an elevator through the earth’s magnetic field can exclude large areas of a facility from housing sensitive tools and instruments.

Axalta Coating Systems is planning to construct the 175,000-sf Global Innovation Center in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard. Designed by Erdy McHenry Architecture, the $70 million R&D facility will replace Axalta’s Wilmington campus and will house 170 relocated employees. The project developer is Liberty Property Trust. Completion is expected in late 2017 with full operations commencing in 2018.

The University of Lincoln has awarded BAM Construction a $25 million contract to construct the Isaac Newton Building in the United Kingdom. Located on the Brayford Pool campus, the four-story, 81,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research space for programs in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and physics. The building will also house a 500-seat lecture hall, an atrium, a semi-anechoic chamber, and a room with the properties of a Faraday cage. Construction will begin in fall of 2015 with completion expected in early 2017.

Cornell University is engaged in a $90 million expansion of the College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, the project includes 65,000 sf of new construction and 33,000 sf of renovated space. The completed facility will provide a public auditorium, a veterinary library, two tiered lecture halls, technology-rich classrooms, an e-learning center, and a dining hall. Existing surgical suites, anatomy labs, and tutorial rooms will be renovated. Ground was broken on the project in September of 2014.

The University of Connecticut broke ground in September of 2015 on the $95 million Engineering and Science Building in Storrs. Supporting research in the emerging fields of bioengineering, nanomaterials, and virtual reality, the five-story, 118,000-sf facility will provide interdisciplinary laboratories, instructional spaces, and faculty offices. Open-plan labs will be located on three stories of the building, with the Institute for Systems Genomics and the Center for Genome Innovation occupying the remaining two floors. Completion is slated for summer of 2017.

The University of North Dakota is building the $15.5 million Collaborative Energy Center in Grand Forks. Ground was broken in July of 2015 on the 37,000-sf facility, which will serve as a headquarters for all energy-related programs within the College of Engineering & Mines, including the Institute for Energy Studies. Providing advanced laboratories and multipurpose teaching venues, the project will support interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation among students, faculty, and industry partners.

Lightweight metals manufacturer Alcoa is investing $60 million to expand its research and development campus. Located near Pittsburgh at the Alcoa Technical Center in New Kensington, Pa., the project includes construction of a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing center. Supporting the implementation of Alcoa’s Ampliforge™ process, a technique combining additive and traditional manufacturing to enhance the properties of materials, the center will accommodate the production of proprietary metal powders engineered specifically for 3D printing.

The University of Central Florida is planning to build the $30 million Interdisciplinary Research and Incubator facility in Orlando. The first phase of construction will create a three-story, 67,000-sf building providing 31 research and incubator suites, many of which will include wet lab space. The multidisciplinary facility will house offices, lecture halls, and conference rooms, and will be used by researchers from the University as well as offering leased space for industry partners.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory opened the $59 million Chu Hall in September of 2015. Designed by SmithGroupJJR of San Francisco, the three-story, 39,000-sf facility will support research on electrochemical and photovoltaic solar energy technologies. Chu Hall houses the administrative offices of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute as well as the northern branch of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a laboratory created in partnership with the California Institute of Technology and funded by the Department of Energy.

Carthage College opened the renovated and expanded Center for the Natural and Social Sciences in September of 2015 in Kenosha, Wis. Designed by Stantec, the $43 million project included construction of a 35,000-sf wing and renovation of the existing 70,000-sf facility. The interdisciplinary center features TEAL (Technology Enhanced Active Learning) classrooms and 12 teaching labs for programs in materials science, nanotechnology, engineering design, molecular biology, and atomic microscopy.

Scripps Research Institute is planning to construct a new 147,000-sf laboratory complex in La Jolla, Calif. Supporting the consolidation of research space to promote interaction and collaboration, the project will provide a 12,000-sf NMR suite and advanced laboratories for the study of immunology, structural biology, neuroscience, and global health. Occupancy is expected in 2019.