Research and Development

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the fourth quarter of 2018. Key points include:

Florida Polytechnic University is planning to build the Applied Research Center in Lakeland. The two-story, 85,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, student design spaces, conference rooms, faculty offices, and administrative space. The ARC was designed by HOK with the goal of creating a dynamic, functional, and flexible facility that will promote innovation, entrepreneurship, collaboration, and connectivity. Construction will begin in August of 2019 and completion is expected in fall of 2021.

Arizona State University and Wexford Science+Technology broke ground in March of 2019 on a $77 million research building on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. The public-private project will be owned by Wexford and is being created in partnership with Ventas and the city of Phoenix. Half of the seven-story, 225,000-sf facility will house research labs for ASU's Biodesign Institute, the College of Health Solutions, and the College of Nursing and Health Innovation.

Bates College broke ground on the 65,000-sf Bonney Science Center in March of 2019 in Lewiston, Maine. Designed by Payette to foster collaboration, the three-story facility will provide flexible teaching and research labs, classrooms, and study areas to support programs in chemistry, biology, and neuroscience. The interdisciplinary project will include shared instrumentation rooms, a two-story interaction lounge, and a vivarium.

Cellectis entered into a lease agreement in March of 2019 to build the Innovative Manufacturing Plant for Allogeneic Cellular Therapies (IMPACT) in Raleigh, N.C. Designed by Laporte Euro, the facility will produce immunotherapies based on gene-edited allogeneic CAR T-cells (UCART). Colliers International assisted in the real estate transaction. In addition, Cellectis is building a 14,000-sf manufacturing facility in Paris.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is building a $50 million life sciences facility in Honolulu. Designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the three-story, 45,000-sf project will provide the College of Natural Sciences with classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, lab support spaces, and offices. Accommodating the departments of biology, microbiology, and botany, the building will also house the Pacific Biosciences Research Center and the Biological Electron Microscope Facility.

Quest Diagnostics broke ground in March of 2019 on a 250,000-sf laboratory in Clifton, N.J. The medical testing facility will be Quest's largest development and will accommodate over 1,100 employees. Supporting increased capacity, the center will provide comprehensive diagnostic services with reduced processing times. Occupancy is expected in 2021. The lab is located on 12 acres in the ON3 campus which offers integrated research, office, and residential facilities in a vibrant environment offering myriad lifestyle amenities.

The University of Chicago opened the Media Arts, Data and Design (MADD) Center in February of 2019. Designed by Payette, the 20,000-sf facility provides students, faculty, staff, and community partners with a collaborative space for exploration and innovation in virtual and augmented reality, data visualization, digital fabrication, and video gaming. Located in the John Crerar Library, the MADD Center houses five resource labs: 

Lehigh University is planning to build a $100 million facility for the College of Health in Bethlehem, Pa. Designed by Wilson HGA, the five-story, 190,000-gsf facility will promote interdisciplinary education and research by collocating programs in health, science, and technology. Featuring a transparent design with minimal hard walls, the project will offer open labs and learning studios to enhance collaboration and interaction.

Fujifilm Electronic Materials broke ground in March of 2019 on an 85,000-sf expansion of its Mesa campus. The project will provide five new buildings for research, development, manufacturing, warehousing, and administration. Completion is expected in early 2020. Fujifilm is investing $91 million over several years to expand its operations in Arizona and Rhode Island to meet a growing global demand for high purity electronic chemicals.

Virginia Tech is planning to begin construction in mid-2020 on the $250 million Global Business and Analytics Complex in Blacksburg. Accommodating programs for the Pamplin College of Business, the four-building complex will include two 100,000-sf academic buildings providing collaborative research spaces, interactive classrooms, offices, labs, and high-performance computational suites for data analysis and interpretation. The transdisciplinary project will also include two residential buildings that will act as living-learning communities for approximately 700 students.

Too many expensive new science buildings are failing to meet their critical operational requirements. The number one cause of this costly and damaging outcome is a common yet preventable gap between 'build' and 'operate' that results in post-construction O&M staffing being too little, too late, and unprepared. But wait, there’s an algorithm for that!

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center opened the $22.3 million Academic Classroom Building in Odessa in February of 2019. Designed to promote active learning, the two-story, 51,000-sf facility provides studio classrooms, lecture halls, physical and occupational therapy training labs, research labs, and departmental offices for the schools of medicine, nursing, and health professions.

Amicus Therapeutics is creating the Global Research and Gene Therapy Center of Excellence in Philadelphia. The 75,000-sf facility will provide collaborative laboratories and offices for the discovery and development of treatments for rare metabolic diseases. Accommodating up to 200 employees, the center will serve as the headquarters for the global Amicus science organization and the gene therapy division’s leadership team. Occupancy is expected in the second half of 2019.

The University of Washington opened the $110 million Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering in February of 2019 in Seattle. Designed by LMN Architects to foster interaction and collaboration, the 135,000-sf facility features a 3,000-sf robotics lab, a 240-seat auditorium, a maker space, a virtual and augmented reality lab, a wet lab, and two 100-seat classrooms. The building also houses a flexible event hall, a café, a student services hub, faculty offices, and an undergraduate commons.