Research and Development

The University of Iowa dedicated the $33.5 million Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences building in Iowa City in January of 2020. Creating a new gateway to the east side of campus, the 66,470-sf teaching and research facility provides technology-rich classrooms and labs, administrative offices, conference rooms, and breakout spaces. Supporting programs in neuroscience, psychology, computational modeling, and virtual reality, the six-story structure features an interior plaza and a learning commons to promote interaction and collaboration.

The University of British Columbia opened the renovated and expanded Life Science Teaching Laboratories in January of 2020 in Vancouver. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and HDR, the interdisciplinary complex provides active learning environments, classrooms, study spaces, faculty offices, and state-of-the-art teaching and research labs.

Eli Lilly & Company is planning to build a $474 million pharmaceutical manufacturing center in Durham, N.C. Located in Research Triangle Park, the next-generation facility will produce injectable therapeutics and delivery devices for conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. Accommodating over 450 new employees, the project will provide integrated manufacturing, engineering, and warehouse areas. Operations will commence at the site in 2023.

Oklahoma State University is planning to break ground in spring of 2021 on a $100 million facility for the College of Agriculture in Stillwater. Designed to promote hands-on, experiential learning, the building will offer flexible teaching and research labs, dynamic classrooms, collaboration spaces, and faculty offices. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2023. OSU is also building the $7.1 million Animal Nutrition and Physiology Center.

Foghorn Therapeutics broke ground in January of 2020 on its 60,000-sf headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. Located in Kendall Square, the facility will provide chemistry and biology labs, open offices, conference rooms, huddle rooms, and an employee café. Foghorn will occupy over three floors in the building, which is owned by Alexandria Real Estate Equities and managed by CBRE.

Aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin opened its new headquarters and research facility in January of 2020 in Kent, Wash. Designed to accommodate approximately 1,500 employees, the 232,885-sf O'Neill Building provides open offices, R&D labs, conference rooms, a staff lounge and kitchen, and an expansive gathering space adjoining the lobby to encourage collaboration and interaction. Supporting the company's recent growth, the structure is sited on over 30 acres adjacent to Blue Origin's former headquarters, which has been renamed the Verne Building.

The University of Connecticut is planning to construct the $240 million Science 1 building in Storrs. Housing the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, the 198,000-sf facility will offer a 240-seat active learning room, specialized research labs, teaching labs, core labs, computational labs, a cleanroom, and faculty and administrative offices.

Southern New Hampshire University opened the 67,000-sf College of Engineering, Technology, and Aeronautics in January of 2020 in Manchester, N.H. Accommodating STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the three-story building provides flexible teaching labs, collaboration spaces, a drone flight area, a wind tunnel, a 3D printing lab, a wood shop, and suites for robotics, virtual reality, and materials science.

The National Institutes of Health is planning to build a dementia research center in Bethesda, Md. The 24,000-sf facility will provide labs, open collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and offices to support the discovery of new diagnostic tools and treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related conditions. The single-story structure will be delivered in less than two years using modular construction technologies. The cost of the project has yet to be determined, with estimates ranging from $25 to $100 million.

The University of Texas at Dallas is constructing the $101 million Science Building to provide leading-edge teaching and research spaces for the departments of physics, mathematics, and chemistry. Designed by Stantec, the 186,000-sf collaborative facility will feature 12 instructional laboratories, a large learning venue with integrated classroom and lab functions, and specialized suites for optics, acoustics, and cryogenics.

Pennsylvania State University is planning to build the $56.8 million Center for Innovation, Making and Learning in State College. The project will include the demolition of the existing James Building and construction of an 85,000-sf facility accommodating maker spaces, workshops, a virtual reality and immersive technology lab, lecture venues, and co-working and collaboration areas.

St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital is constructing the $13.4 million Shared Resource Center in Memphis, Tenn. Accommodating 60 employees, the project will provide core laboratories and instrumentation suites to accelerate the discovery of new treatments for pediatric cancer and other diseases. Created inside an existing 300,000-sf warehouse, the 100,000-sf center will house: 

The University of Cincinnati is constructing the 180,000-sf Digital Futures Building in the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Designed by KieranTimberlake with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the interdisciplinary facility will provide applied research labs for the creation of innovative robotic, automotive, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies.

Corporate and academic research institutions are shifting towards a more interdisciplinary model for designing new lab buildings, with the goal of accelerating discovery times and increasing innovation. This means creating more open, team-based laboratories, with shared equipment and collaboration areas that increase interaction between scientists from different disciplines while optimizing space and resources. Two recent case studies illustrating this approach include the new 840,000-sf Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) in Cambridge, Mass., and a new 316,000-sf academic science facility at Towson University near Baltimore, Md. While one project is corporate and the other academic, much of the design and programming for both projects is focused around mapping out the research activities needed to get to the desired outcome.

Siemens Mobility Limited is planning to build a rail innovation campus in Goole in the United Kingdom. Designed by Arup and AHR, the 860,000-sf complex will include a £200 million manufacturing center and the Rail Accelerator and Innovation Solutions Hub for Enterprise (RaisE) to support collaborative research with academic and industry partners. The first phase of RaisE's construction comprises a £6 million, 34,400-sf structure providing offices, labs, and support space. Production is expected to begin at the site in 2023.