The University of Louisiana at Lafayette began construction in June of 2024 on a significant expansion of the New Iberia Research Center, the nation's largest facility for nonhuman primates. Creating an onsite BSL-3 laboratory for the study of infectious diseases and select agents, the $25 million project will enable the development of novel vaccines, diagnostics, and mitigation solutions. Paul J.
The University of California, Berkeley is planning to construct the Bakar ClimatEnginuity Hub as part of a new downtown innovation zone. Designed by Gensler, the five-story, 145,000-sf facility will provide wet and dry laboratories, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and offices. The robust structure will also include flexible scale-up suites for the development of renewable energy solutions, carbon-capture technologies, and greener building materials and agricultural practices.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is constructing the $480 million Morgan Center for Research & Innovation on its Schuylkill River waterfront campus. Situated next to the existing Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, the 350,000-sf tower will provide state-of-the-art labs and core facilities where investigators and clinicians from different disciplines can engage in collaborative discovery.
Washington State University Vancouver dedicated the $63.8 million Life Sciences Building in June of 2024. Designed by SRG + CannonDesign, the 60,000-sf facility collocates the university’s basic, translational, applied, and clinical health programs in a single integrated location. The three-story structure provides faculty research suites, classrooms and teaching labs for biology and chemistry, and specialized learning venues for courses in nursing, psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and molecular biology.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is constructing the Sustainable Engineering Laboratories, a national hub for clean energy innovation. Featuring flexible, multimodal learning venues, the $125 million facility was designed by Payette to provide technology-rich environments for immersive teaching and research programs. The vibrant structure will house the Energy Transition Institute, the Wind Energy Center, the UMass Transportation Center, and labs for autonomous vehicle technologies, energy storage, and ocean energy systems.
Post-pandemic employees expect their workplaces to offer amenities similar to those they grew accustomed to while working from home: access to outdoor spaces, the opportunity to choose between working from home and in the office, areas for individual and team work, and the ability to focus on their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing with amenities such as a gym, quiet lounges with technological support for laptops, and nearby places to socialize.
The $93 million Agriculture & Natural Resources Building (ANRB) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville provides enhanced research, education, and collaboration with advanced technology, specialized labs, flexible classrooms, a large commons area, a 500-seat auditorium, lecture halls, seamless connections to nearby academic buildings, and a welcoming pedestrian plaza to engage the community. A biophilic design connects students, faculty, and staff with nature through the use of clerestory windows and a green roof that acts as an exterior living room with research gardens.
WACKER opened the mRNA Competence Center in June of 2024 in Halle an der Saale, Germany. Representing an investment of over €100 million, the next-generation facility enables the large-scale production of active ingredients based on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The building spans a total floor area of 79,653 sf and accommodates four new lines supported by advanced infrastructure, including 17,222 sf of glass-enclosed cleanroom space for bioprocessing under controlled conditions.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire broke ground on the $340.3 million Science and Health Sciences Building in June of 2024. Designed by HOK and Potter Lawson, the 330,000-sf facility will collocate STEM courses in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics with programs in nursing, psychology, pre-professional health sciences, and public health and environmental studies. The vibrant five-story structure will feature an accessible sixth level with a greenhouse, a telescope observatory dome, and a mechanical room.
The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School opened the $325 million New Education and Research Building in June of 2024 in Worcester. ZGF Architects and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge designed the 350,000-sf project to drive discovery in gene therapy, molecular medicine, and the neurosciences, as well as housing the departments of neurology and neurobiology.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center began construction in June of 2024 on the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center in Sharonville, Ohio. The $60 million project will transform an existing structure into a catalyst for innovative clinical trials. Designed by BHDP Architecture, the 111,000-sf facility will advance the development, testing, and manufacture of new medicines and biological therapies.
Oregon State University broke ground in April of 2024 on the $213 million Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex in Corvallis. Designed by ZGF Architects, the 143,000-sf facility will accommodate team-based research programs in semiconductors, materials science, artificial intelligence, and robotics. These next-generation technologies will provide new solutions to global challenges in climate science, oceanography, and water resources.
Sanofi opened a 20,000-sf biomanufacturing center in May of 2024 in Toronto. Producing adult and pediatric vaccines for pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus, the project significantly increases capacity to meet growing demand in Canada and around the world. The next-generation facility features advanced bioprocessing suites supported by highly efficient infrastructure. Commissioning is currently under way, with full operations slated to commence in mid-2025.
Columbia University broke ground in late May of 2024 on the first all-electric biomedical research building in New York City. Designed by KPF, the 77,000-sf facility will drive innovation in genetic and genomic science to create new treatments for some of the most significant threats to human health today. The eight-story structure will feature state-of-the-art laboratories linked by "collaboration corners" with welcoming lounges for informal interaction and exchange.
The University of Rochester opened the newly expanded Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) in May of 2024 in Brighton, N.Y. Featuring Class 1000 cleanrooms, the 66,600-sf addition includes general and wet-bench research venues, a laser computing center, and open office environments. The three-story structure will enable the construction of the AMICA laser system, prototyping of the NSF OPAL lasers, and the creation of next-generation targets, diagnostics, and optics for national security efforts.
