Research and Development

Johnson & Johnson opened its San Francisco Bay Campus in September of 2022 in Brisbane, Calif. Accommodating up to 400 employees, the 200,000-sf facility bridges key scientific and technological capabilities by collocating the biomedical research activities of subsidiary firm Janssen Pharmaceuticals with J&J's innovation and technology divisions. The collaborative R&D hub houses leading-edge laboratories, flexible office environments, and space for joint development with industry partners.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst broke ground in September of 2022 on a $125 million building for the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences. Designed as a world-class hub for education, discovery, and outreach, the 90,000-gsf facility will provide research labs, interactive classrooms, maker spaces, conference and huddle rooms, and a 240-seat auditorium. The existing computer science building will be physically linked on each floor to the new development by an open, light-filled commons for graduate and undergraduate students.

Drexel University opened the 460,000-sf Health Sciences Building in September of 2022 in Philadelphia. Developed and owned by Wexford Science+Technology and Ventas, the leased facility is strategically sited in the uCity Square innovation district. Consolidating teaching and research activities previously dispersed in separate locations throughout the city, the 12-story tower centralizes many of Drexel’s health-related programs and integrates them into the main university campus.

CSL completed construction in September of 2022 on its $150 million R&D campus in Marburg, Germany. Located in the Görzhausen Industrial Park, the 430,000-sf facility offers sophisticated environments for the creation of next-generation mRNA vaccines, recombinant technologies, and cell and gene therapies. Accommodating up to 500 employees, the multidisciplinary complex represents CSL’s largest global research hub with 75,000 sf of lab space and 75,000 sf of office space.

The University of Rochester is engaged in a $42 million expansion of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) in Brighton, N.Y. Featuring Class 1000 cleanrooms for target fabrication and thin film coating activities, the 66,000-sf addition will include a laser computing facility, general and wet-bench research venues, and open office environments. The largest lab will house the AMICA laser system, a high-energy, long-pulse laser that is being assembled for Stanford University’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville opened the $55 million Sesquicentennial Hall in September of 2022. Designed by BWBR Architects, the 99,200-sf building provides collaborative learning and research facilities for programs in engineering, computer science, and sustainable and renewable energy systems (SRES).

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories broke ground in September of 2022 on the $500 million Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre at Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario. Featuring mass timber components, the 108,000-sf building will provide state-of-the-art research environments for the development of advanced nuclear technologies. Accommodating 240 employees, the secure structure will house flexible laboratories, administrative offices, and 12 shielded hot cells with accompanying glovebox facilities.

Auburn University opened the $83 million Advanced Classroom and Laboratory Complex (ACLC) in fall of 2022. Designed by Perkins&Will, the 151,000-sf facility provides flexible learning venues, teaching and research labs, and over 12,000 sf of informal interaction space. On the ground floor, a trio of lecture halls with integrated audiovisual recording technologies can seat 96, 200, and 300 students respectively.

Sartorius is constructing the $60 million Center of Excellence for BioAnalytics in Ann Arbor, Mich. Designed by Hobbs+Black Architects, the 130,000-sf building will include a process development lab to accelerate the creation of advanced medical therapies. Providing next-generation facilities for biopharmaceutical research, development, production, and testing, the project will enable the company to consolidate business operations currently dispersed throughout Washtenaw County and beyond.

The University of Maine opened the $78 million Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center in August of 2022 in Orono. Designed by Ellenzweig and WBRC to promote experiential learning, the 115,000-sf facility features hands-on teaching labs for programs in mechanical and biomedical engineering. Housing the campus welcome center and a STEM outreach hub, the three-story structure provides capstone project rooms, a collaboration commons, informal meeting areas, conference rooms, and offices for faculty and staff.

Thermo Fisher Scientific opened a 300,000-sf viral vector center in August of 2022 in Plainville, Mass. Accelerating the creation of advanced cell and gene therapies, the cGMP-compliant facility offers flexible laboratories and production suites for the development, testing, and manufacture of viral vectors. Featuring Thermo Fisher’s advanced bioprocessing technologies and analytical instrumentation, the sustainably designed structure also includes sophisticated office environments and adjacent warehouse spaces.

Florida Polytechnic University opened the $47 million Applied Research Center in August of 2022 in Lakeland. Designed by HOK, the 90,000-sf facility provides teaching and research labs, student design spaces, conference rooms, faculty offices, and administrative space. Catalyzing entrepreneurship and economic development, the two-story structure will play a pivotal role in expanding academic program offerings and resources to support the university’s growing student population.

The University of Huddersfield is planning to construct the National Health Innovation Campus in Huddersfield in the United Kingdom. The transformative development will integrate teaching, research, and outpatient care facilities to optimize health outcomes in the Yorkshire and Humber region and nationwide. Designed by AHR Architects, the first phase of construction will create a new home for the Health and Wellbeing Academy.

Pfizer is expanding its Chesterfield campus with the construction of a $60 million addition to support vaccine research and development. Providing leading-edge labs, offices, and support spaces, the three-story, 37,000-sf project will adjoin an existing 261,000-sf facility that opened in 2019. A two-story bridge with a covered plaza will link the completed structure to the rest of the 31-acre site. 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)’s new Unity Hall is an academic research building focused on computational-based technologies for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), including robotics, data science, bioinformatics, and computational biology. The five-story, 100,000-sf facility brings together previously dispersed programs to create a centralized location for the university’s Smart World research cluster. In addition to dedicated labs, offices, and meeting spaces, Unity Hall houses shared dry lab and support spaces designed to foster the advanced multidisciplinary collaboration that is the hallmark of 4IR technologies.