Research and Development

Purdue University Calumet opened the newly renovated Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation in October of 2011. The 6,300-sf multidisciplinary research center is located on the first floor of the Powers Computer Education Building on the Calumet campus in Hammond, Ind. The $2.7 million renovation and expansion project provides updated simulation and visualization labs, including an immersive research theater and a 3D virtual classroom.

The Almac Group is expanding its pharmaceutical R&D campus in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, with the construction of a $7.2 million formulation development facility. The scale-up laboratory will support early stage clinical development of solid oral dose drug products. Completion is expected in mid-2012. A second phase of expansion will include the construction of additional analytical and quality control labs, with completion slated for year-end 2012.

Los Alamos National Laboratory will build a $5.8 billion nuclear research facility in Los Alamos, N.M. The project will include construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Building, which will provide 22,500 nsf of lab space for the study of plutonium and other radioactive materials. Waste processing and disposal facilities will also be built. 

Commonwealth Medical College dedicated the $115 million Medical Science Building in October of 2011. Located in Scranton, Pa., the four-story, 183,000-sf facility comprises two wings, one housing research space and the other for academic instruction. The building features 35 medical research labs, 24 small-group teaching rooms, a 250-seat auditorium, lecture halls, simulation suites for medical training, and a gross anatomy lab with 21 air changes per hour. Construction began on the project in February of 2009.

The Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) is building a $32 million facility in Waco, Texas. Fostering collaboration between academia and industry partners, the 300,000-sf project will support commercialization of research discoveries and workforce development. BRIC was created by Baylor University, Texas State Technical College, the City of Waco, and other partners.  

Emerson Process Management will build a $25 million headquarters and R&D facility for its Regulator Technologies Division in McKinney, Texas. Construction will begin in early 2012 on the three-story, 132,000-sf building with completion expected by year-end 2013. The sustainably designed facility will be developed by Matthews Southwest. 

The University of British Columbia broke ground on the $68.8 million Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health in October of 2011. Located at UBC Hospital in Vancouver, the six-story translational facility will support advanced neuroscience research, teaching, and clinical care. The center will include a collaboration atrium called the Synapse Garden and a repository for DNA and brain tissue. The Centre for Brain Health is being created in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

The University of Illinois broke ground in October of 2011 on the $95 million Electrical and Computer Engineering Building in Urbana. The six-story, 232,000-sf facility will house advanced classrooms, labs, and equipment suites for interdisciplinary research in energy, biotechnology, nanotechnology, computing, and communications. Designed by SmithGroup of Chicago, the project will enable UI to consolidate programs currently housed in several locations.

Oregon State University opened the $62.5 million Linus Pauling Science Center in Corvallis in October of 2011. The 105,000-sf teaching and research facility features flexible 24-person lab modules and a 180-seat multimedia auditorium. The center houses the Linus Pauling Institute which promotes the study of micronutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals for disease prevention. The facility also provides research space for the Department of Chemistry, including a cleanroom and an imaging suite with magnetic resonance and electron microscopy instrumentation.

Texas A&M University opened the Building Information Modeling Computer-Aided Virtual Environment (BIM CAVE) in October of 2011 in College Station. Located on the fourth floor of the Department of Construction Science's Langford Architecture Center, the laboratory enables students and researchers to explore building systems with an array of twelve 46-inch monitors for immersive visualization. 

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences broke ground in October of 2011 on a third research facility at its Ocean Science and Education campus in East Boothbay, Maine. The $11.4 million Bigelow Center for Ocean Health will include a 16,600-sf building and a 1,200-sf shore facility with dock space for research vessels. The completed 60,000-sf campus will include the Bigelow Center for Blue Biotechnology, to be occupied in December of 2012, and the Center for Ocean Biogeochemistry and Climate Change, which is expected to reach completion in spring of 2012.

The University of Minnesota broke ground on an $83 million physics and nanotechnology building in Minneapolis in October of 2011. The 60,000-sf building will house 40 laboratories for the College of Science and Engineering and a 5,000-sf cleanroom. Completion is expected in November of 2013.

The University of Tennessee will open the $37.5 Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building in Knoxville in October of 2011. The 150,000-sf facility provides 19 teaching labs, 15 research labs, two lecture halls, and faculty offices. The University also broke ground on the John Tickle Engineering Building in September of 2011; the duration of construction will be approximately 18 months. 

Marquette University opened the $50 million Engineering Hall in October of 2011 in Milwaukee. The five-story, 115,000-sf facility houses 38 laboratories, offices, common areas, and a two-story materials and structural testing lab. Functioning as a living laboratory, Engineering Hall includes over 100 sensors to measure temperature, humidity, and electricity use to support instruction in building management and construction science. Ground was broken on the facility in spring of 2010.

Drexel University opened the $49.7 million Constantine Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building in October of 2011 in Philadelphia. The 138,000-sf facility provides 39 research and teaching labs for biology, chemistry, and biomedical engineering. The building also houses classrooms, lecture halls, a 230-seat auditorium, and collaborative space. The project's central feature is a five-story biowall in the atrium that serves as a living air filter. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.