Research and Development

The University of Notre Dame broke ground on McCourtney Hall in October of 2014. The 220,000-sf research facility will house the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Comprising two wings connected by a collaborative core of faculty offices and conference rooms, the three-story building will provide 100,000 sf of open lab space. Construction of the facility is funded in part by a $35 million philanthropic contribution. Completion is expected in June of 2016.

The Jackson Laboratory opened the $135 million JAX Genomic Medicine facility in October of 2014 in Farmington, Conn. Located on 17 acres at the University of Connecticut Health Science Center, the four-story, 183,500-sf building features 17 wet labs and 17 dry labs arranged in flexible, collaborative clusters. The facility also provides core service labs, two large conference rooms, offices, a data center, and a 200-seat auditorium.

The University of Bath opened the HIVE research facility in September of 2014 in Swindon, U.K. Located in the Building Research Park, the $1.6 million project will support energy efficiency testing for construction materials. The performance of building systems and structural elements can be evaluated in eight individual cells with partial exposure to the external environment. Facilities include a hygrothermal cell for heat and moisture studies, a double-height flexible construction design cell, and a flood cell for water resistance research.

XBiotech broke ground in September of 2014 on a 46,000-sf pharmaceutical research and manufacturing center in Austin, Texas. The $12 million facility will reach completion in mid-2015 with production of the cancer drug Xilonix commencing in early 2016. The project is part of a $200 million campus that XBiotech plans to develop on the 48-acre site.

Central Michigan University began construction in September of 2014 on the $95 million Biosciences Building in Mount Pleasant. Designed by Stantec, the four-story, 169,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, research labs, a BSL-3 suite, lecture halls, classrooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, an herbarium, an imaging center, and an aquatic research vivarium. Occupancy is expected in January of 2017. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is is being built by Clark Construction.

Murray State University broke ground on the new Breathitt Veterinary Center in September of 2014. Located in Hopkinsville, Ky., the $32.4 million facility will provide laboratories for pathology, virology, toxicology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, histology, serology, and molecular diagnostics. Replacing the state’s existing animal disease diagnostic lab, the 53,000-sf project will include a BSL-3 suite as well as technology-rich classrooms and collaborative research space.

Sam Houston State University is constructing the Sycamore Vivarium in Huntsville, Texas. Designed by FKP Architects and built by Vaughn Construction, the $1.6 million project will provide rodent housing, four animal holding rooms, and a procedure room. Completion is expected in December of 2014 with occupancy in spring of 2015.

The University of Maryland is planning to build the $140 million Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science Innovation in College Park. The facility will provide UMD’s Department of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies with technology-rich labs and workrooms for the study of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, computer vision, robotics, and virtual reality. Designed to support collaborative learning, the LEED-certified project will include classrooms for the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.

Novartis is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania to create the Center for Advanced Cellular Therapeutics. Located on the Penn Medicine Campus in Philadelphia, the 30,000-sf facility will accommodate research on personalized cellular cancer therapies using chimeric antigen receptor technology (CAR). Supported by $20 million in funding from Novartis, the project will be built on top of the Jordan Medical Education Center and South Pavilion Extension, which is currently under construction. Completion is expected in 2016.

The University of Alabama is partnering with Lockheed Martin to create a data science research lab. Located at the Culverhouse College of Commerce in Tuscaloosa, the facility will allow students to participate in the development and application of advanced analytics technologies. Still in the design phase, the laboratory will be located in Bidgood Hall and will feature a visualization suite with multiple plasma screens and digital projectors as well as collaboration spaces for small group work.

UT Southwestern has completed construction of the William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in Dallas. The $800 million academic medical center was designed by RTKL to integrate research, treatment, and education. The 12-story, 1.3 million-sf facility features 460 private patient rooms optimally arranged to enhance the delivery of team-based care.

The Wistar Institute completed the $100 million Robert and Penny Fox Tower in Philadelphia in September of 2014. Designed by Ballinger to promote interaction and collaboration, the seven-story, 89,000-gsf facility provides advanced biomedical research space for the study of cancer, genetics, and vaccine development. Located on the University of Pennsylvania campus, the project represents an expansion of Wistar's existing facilities and increased the number of labs from 30 to 46, as well as delivering upgraded building infrastructure systems.

Texas A&M University will begin construction in January of 2015 on the Engineering Education Complex in College Station. Designed by Treanor Architects, the $137 million project includes construction of a 142,000-gsf addition as well as renovation of the existing 324,400-gsf Zachry Engineering Center. The completed facility will provide a total of 600,000 sf of technology-rich teaching and research space including flexible classrooms, shared design and fabrication suites, laboratories, collaboration areas, and offices.

The University of Pennsylvania is constructing the $68.6 million Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building in Philadelphia. Designed by SmithGroup, the six-story interdisciplinary facility will support collaborative research in biology and psychology and will connect two existing structures. The 78,000-gsf building will house classrooms, research labs, offices, study areas, an auditorium, and interaction space. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable certification will be sought for the facility, which will feature a metal mesh sunshade façade and a green roof.

Weber State University is building the $64 million Tracy Hall Science Center in Ogden, Utah. Designed by VCBO Architects of Salt Lake City, the 175,000-sf facility will provide advanced labs and classrooms as well as housing all eight departments of the College of Science. The laboratory programming and design consultant is Research Facilities Design (RFD) of San Diego. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.