The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley broke ground in November of 2019 on the $30 million Institute for Neuroscience in Harlingen. Designed by Muñoz & Co. Architects, the 32,570-sf translational research facility will provide integrated laboratory, diagnostic, and clinical spaces where doctors and scientists can collaboratively develop innovative therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders.
North Carolina A&T State University is constructing the $90 million Engineering Research & Innovation Center in Greensboro. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering to promote experiential learning, the 130,000-sf teaching and research building will accommodate programs including cybersecurity, energy science, and health technology.
The U.S. Department of Transportation broke ground in late October of 2019 on the 400,000-sf John A. Volpe Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the project involves the construction of a $750 million transportation research facility sited on four acres, which will be funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The remaining ten acres currently occupied by the Department of Transportation will be released to the university for mixed-use development.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory opened the Center for Therapeutic Research in late October of 2019 in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Designed by Centerbrook Architects and Planners, the $75 million project involved the renovation and expansion of the existing Demerec Laboratory to create a 26,000-sf biomedical facility for the creation of advanced therapies for genetic diseases including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and autism.
Bradley University opened the first phase of the Business and Engineering Convergence Center in October of 2019 in Peoria, Ill. Designed by Dewberry with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the $100 million building provides interactive teaching and research facilities for the Foster College of Business, the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology, and the Institute for Innovation through Collaboration.
WuXi Biologics is planning to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Dundalk, Ireland. A three-story, 110,600-sf vaccine production plant will leverage single-use technologies and processes to optimize efficiency and scalability. A four-story, 62,000-sf facility housing laboratories and administrative offices will also be constructed. The project represents the second phase of development at the site, where WuXi is currently building a $365 million, 522,000-sf manufacturing center that will begin commercial operation in 2022.
Rochester Institute of Technology is constructing the Global Cybersecurity Institute in Rochester, N.Y. Designed by LaBella Associates, the 45,000-sf facility will provide technology-rich teaching, research, and administrative space for the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. The three-story building will feature a state-of-the-art cyber range, a cybersecurity learning center, a security operations hub, and an air-gapped computer lab for malware analysis.
The University of California, San Diego broke ground on the $41 million Design and Innovation Building in October of 2019. Accommodating entrepreneurial activities currently distributed across campus, the 74,000-sf facility will act as a hub for collaborative discovery as well as providing a new campus entrance from the light rail transit station. Designed by EHDD to offer transparent views of the activities occurring within, the multipurpose building will house maker spaces, workshops, a business incubator, general assignment classrooms, and a restaurant.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is joining a growing wave of pharmaceutical research facilities that are incorporating small-scale manufacturing into their spaces. Fitting the manufacturing suites into an underground floor of an existing building was a challenge for architect, engineer, and scientist alike. The suites are designed to produce clinical vectors, important “vehicles” to which drug companies “attach” treatments so that those treatments reach the right location in a patient’s body.
Great Ormond Street Hospital opened the £42 million Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children in October of 2019 in London. Developed in partnership with University College London, the 140,000-sf translational research facility collocates biomedical laboratories, GMP manufacturing suites, clinical spaces, and offices to enable the creation of innovative medical devices and personalized gene and cell therapies.
Yale University opened the $283 million Yale Science Building in October of 2019 in New Haven, Conn. Housing the entire Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology department, the 280,300-sf multidisciplinary facility also accommodates part of the Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry department, as well as supporting faculty from physics and chemistry. The collaborative seven-level structure, which includes two floors below grade, features flexible labs that integrate both research and teaching functions in the same space.
RSP Developers is creating the e-novation Centre in Gurugram. The one million-sf campus is the first privately-owned R&D innovation hub in India and offers leasable office, research, training, and accelerator space for technology companies, academic institutions, and corporations. Sited on 12 acres, the LEED-Gold complex features advanced infrastructure for water recycling, renewable energy, and sustainable waste management for complete self-sufficiency.
Lehigh University broke ground on the $145 million Health, Science & Technology Building in October of 2019 in Bethlehem, Pa. Designed by Wilson HGA, the 190,000-gsf interdisciplinary facility will provide flexible research and teaching spaces, active learning studios, classrooms, social spaces, community areas, and offices. Supporting a culture of transparency and accountability, the five-story structure will utilize interior glass walls to encourage interaction and put science on display.
Florida Institute of Technology will break ground in spring of 2020 on the $18 million Health Sciences Research Center in Melbourne, Fla. Enabling the university to expand its biomedical engineering and premedical programs, the 61,000-sf facility will include a sophisticated anatomy lab with virtual dissection tables, an imaging suite with florescent and laser scanning microscopes, and labs for orthopedic research, tissue engineering, and computer modeling and simulation. The three-story center will also provide 20,000 sf of instructional and training space.
Visteon, a leading producer of digital automotive cockpit electronics, opened the Visteon Querétaro Technical Center in October of 2019 in Mexico. The 64,583-sf facility includes two floors of collaborative workspaces where engineers will develop advanced cockpit electronics products including instrument clusters, infotainment and information displays, and new technologies for connected and autonomous driving. Accommodating up to 600 employees, the center offers four stories of underground parking, a gym, an outdoor terrace, and a cafeteria.
