Research and Development

The University of Warwick celebrated the opening of the £150 million National Automotive Innovation Campus in February of 2020. Located in Coventry in the United Kingdom, the four-story, 355,200-sf complex was created in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors, and the Warwick Manufacturing Group. Designed as a catalyst for economic and workforce development, the National Automotive Innovation Campus will accelerate the creation of sustainable mobility solutions such as electrified and autonomous vehicles.

Research into the causes of and potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases has always been inherently multidisciplinary, combining basic sciences with numerous medical specialties. At the same time, neuroscience research requires a variety of targeted specialized spaces. Facilities that support that research, therefore, must be designed to accommodate both the interdisciplinary and the specialized. “As we approach these projects, we need to have a completely open mindset and expect the unexpected,” says Alex Munoz, SmithGroup princpal and senior lab planner. “The facilities must be designed with flexible standards that are both highly specialized for current research and capable of being relevant in the future.”

The University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are building the Immune Transplant and Therapy Center in Bloomfield. Developed in partnership with Wexford Science & Technology, the $250 million project involves the transformation of a former Ford assembly plant and showroom into an eight-story innovation hub accommodating research on immunotherapy, cancer, chronic diseases, aging, and transplantation.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratory (SEL) opened a $20 million R&D facility in February of 2020 in West Lafayette, Ind. Located in Purdue University's Discovery Park District, the three-story, 100,000-sf building offers leading-edge laboratory and support space for electric power research, development, and manufacturing.

Georgia College broke ground in February of 2020 on the $22.1 million Integrated Science Complex in Milledgeville. Designed by Cooper Carry, the 43,000-sf facility will provide flexible research labs, faculty offices, teaching labs, imaging and microscopy suites, collaboration and study spaces, and a botany terrace. The labs will be interconnected by a linear equipment corridor accessible to all science faculty and students.

Construction began in February of 2020 on a 440,000-sf complex for Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Spring, Texas. Developed by a joint venture of Patrinely Group, USAA Real Estate, and CDC Houston, the collaborative campus will include two five-story structures with bridge connectors on each level. The facility will provide core research and development labs, a conference center, offices, a 2,055-space parking garage, a fitness hub, dining amenities, a pharmacy, and a large central courtyard with a multipurpose sports pavilion.

The University of California, Irvine broke ground on a $185 million health sciences complex in February of 2020. Supporting an innovative curriculum based on integrative health, the five-story, 108,200-sf Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences will adjoin the four-story, 71,500-sf Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing to create a vibrant nexus for learning, research, and clinical training.

Florida State University dedicated the $65 million Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science building in February of 2020 in Tallahassee. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the eight-story, 130,500-sf facility collocates departmental space previously scattered in eight disparate locations. The building provides 23 research labs, eight teaching labs, a 100-seat active-learning classroom, a 280-seat auditorium, a meteorology broadcasting studio, a seismometer suite, student lounges, and a rooftop terrace.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research broke ground in February of 2020 on a $22 million facility in Broomfield, Colo. Located at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, the two-story, 42,391-sf complex will provide advanced research labs for the study of weather, climate, and air quality. Offering sophisticated suites for instrument calibration, the project will support campaign planning and briefing activities for NCAR's field missions, as well as accommodating two research aircraft.

Radford University opened the Artis College of Science and Technology in February of 2020 in Radford, Va. Designed and engineered by CannonDesign, the $34 million project included a complete renovation of Reed Hall and Curie Hall, as well as construction of the connecting Center for the Sciences, a two-story collaboration hub offering meeting rooms, a commons area, study spaces, and offices.

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health are planning to break ground in fall of 2020 on the $750 million Cancer Pavilion in New Brunswick. Created in partnership with the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO), the 12-story, 510,000-sf structure will enable the consolidation of key cancer services in a single integrated location.

Kettering University broke ground on the $63 million Learning Commons in January of 2020 in Flint, Mich. Designed by Stantec as a vibrant laboratory for experiential learning, the four-story, 105,000-sf facility will provide a digital library, a 300-seat auditorium, maker spaces, conference rooms, media resource centers, dining amenities, and collaborative project studios where students can work with faculty and industry partners. Illuminated by natural light, the structure will feature flexible, technology-rich gathering areas with writable surfaces.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is planning to construct the $78.5 million Science and Engineering Complex. Designed by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, the 145,784-sf multidisciplinary facility will house interactive research labs, technology-rich classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and multiple collaboration rooms for team learning. The first phase of the project will create a $64.5 million, 115,000-sf structure accommodating the Department of Biology, the Department of Physics, and lab and support space for the Department of Chemistry.

Fexco opened a $23 million R&D center in January of 2020 in Killorglin, Ireland. Supported by $3.9 million in funding from Enterprise Ireland, the project involved the redevelopment of a former manufacturing site to create a collaborative nexus for entrepreneurship and economic development. The 57,000-sf building strategically collocates the company's 37,000-sf Research Development and Innovation Centre with the not-for-profit RDI Hub, a 20,000-sf facility enabling the establishment and scale-up of startup companies.

Rowan University is constructing the $46.7 million Discovery Hall in Glassboro, N.J. Providing a holistic learning environment for STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the four-story, 68,000-sf facility will offer six active-learning classrooms, six lecture classrooms, two conference rooms, student collaboration spaces, and faculty offices.