Research and Development

West Texas A&M University will begin construction in December of 2018 on two new veterinary facilities in Canyon, Texas. The $22 million Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach Center will house three BSL-2 labs, a multipurpose teaching lab, a large partitionable classroom, offices, a student commons, and a graduate student bullpen. Offering 22,564 net assignable square feet, the building will include shell space for additional teaching, research, and instructional facilities.

Harvey Mudd College will begin construction in 2019 on the $30 million McGregor Computer Science Center. The three-story, 36,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, faculty offices, clinic and project studios, robotics labs, a leading-edge AV production suite, conference rooms, and collaboration areas. The building will also include a maker space with sophisticated equipment including laser cutters and 3D printers. The repositioned Libra Complex, which currently houses engineering machine shops, will be linked to the new center.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia completed construction of the $75 million Clinical Vector Core in November of 2018. Located on the basement level of the Colket Translational Research Building, the project provides laboratories, offices, four production suites, and cleanrooms for the manufacture of gene therapy agents for clinical trials. The 15,000-sf facility features robust environmental controls and was built at a cost of $44 million. The Clinical Vector Core is part of the Raymond G.

The University of California, Santa Barbara began construction on the $56 million Henley Hall in October of 2018. Housing the Institute for Energy Efficiency, the three-story, 49,000-gsf facility will provide 17 labs, faculty and administrative offices, a 125-seat lecture hall, conference rooms, and an atrium. Designed by KieranTimberlake to be as close to zero-net energy as possible, the project will incorporate advanced building systems and numerous sustainable technologies.

Skidmore College broke ground in October of 2018 on the $100 million Center for Integrated Sciences in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Collocating the school's ten science departments in a single location, the 200,000-sf interdisciplinary project will accommodate programs in biology, chemistry, physics, neuroscience, psychology, geoscience, environmental science, mathematics, computer science, and health and exercise science.

The nation’s academic biomedical research facilities are largely unprepared for natural and man-made disasters that could damage buildings, equipment, IT systems, and materials, and ultimately jeopardize research and scientific careers. A recently released study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for institutions and scientists to focus on risk assessment and resilience planning to secure their capital and research investments. In order to do that successfully, institutions need to expand their emergency response and recovery plans and think beyond current building codes, which focus on the life safety needs of the occupants but have yet to account for the significant risks posed to their research programs.

Morgan Advanced Materials opened the Carbon Science Centre of Excellence in November of 2018 in University Park, Pa. Located in Penn State's Innovation Park, the 30,000-sf building offers flexible laboratories, offices, and light assembly suites for collaborative research with academic and industry partners. The facility will support the development of innovative materials science technologies and applications, including the creation of electrified rail products for sustainable public transportation.

Rutgers University dedicated the $84 million Richard N. Weeks Hall of Engineering in October of 2018 in Piscataway, N.J. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the four-story, 106,000-sf facility provides smart classrooms, two lecture halls, offices, conference rooms, and areas for study and informal interaction.

Gannon University is planning a cybersecurity research and teaching building in Erie, Pa. The $20 million project includes the renovation of Knight Tower to create a leading-edge computer science facility offering classrooms, a secure data center, and labs for the study of defense, hacking, and internet devices. Housing the Institute of Health and Cyber Knowledge, the six-story IHACK building will support the school's new majors in cyber engineering and cybersecurity. Two floors of the building will provide up to 40,000 sf of leased space for industry partners.

AbbVie signed a long-term lease in November of 2018 for 480,000 sf in the Gateway of Pacific development in South San Francisco. The facility will be located in a 12-story building currently being constructed by BioMed Realty. Gateway of Pacific is being delivered in two phases, with the first phase comprising 555,000 sf of lab, research, office, and amenity space. Completion is expected in late 2019. The second phase will provide an additional 431,000 sf of lab, office, and parking space and is slated for completion in late 2021.

The University of Glasgow began construction in November of 2018 on the £113 million Research Hub in Scotland in the United Kingdom. Designed by HOK, the 183,000-sf interdisciplinary project is located on the site of the former Western Infirmary and will provide flexible research labs, write-up spaces, meeting rooms, informal interaction areas, and an entrepreneurship center to promote industry partnerships.

Mary Kay opened the $100 million Richard R. Rogers Manufacturing and R&D Center in November of 2018. Located in Lewisville, Texas, the 453,000-sf facility houses state-of-the-art research labs and manufacturing suites for the creation, testing, and production of cosmetics, skin care products, and fragrances. The project was designed by Jacobs Engineering and will operate as a zero-waste-to-landfill facility. General contractor Beck Construction broke ground on the center in September of 2016.

The University of Virginia has reduced the annual operating cost of Clark Hall by $1.2 million by optimizing the facility's energy performance. Located in Charlottesville, Clark Hall originally opened in 1932 and houses the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Charles L. Brown Science & Engineering Library. A team of UVA engineers, technicians, and specialists called Delta Force reviewed and retrofitted the building's systems and equipment to create a 67 percent savings on annual energy costs.

The University of Wyoming broke ground in November of 2018 on the $100 million Science Initiative building in Laramie. Designed by GSG Architecture and Perkins&Will, the 153,000-sf facility will provide leading-edge research labs, imaging suites, collaboration spaces, a vivarium, a greenhouse, and a 200-seat active-learning classroom. Supporting the university's Tier-1 Engineering Initiative, the interdisciplinary project will accommodate STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Axalta Coating Systems opened the $70 million Global Innovation Center in Philadelphia in November of 2018. Located in The Navy Yard development, the two-story, 175,000-sf building houses specialized research and product development labs, collaboration areas, and offices. The structure features a two-story glass façade to maximize daylight while utilizing angled vanes to reduce glare and provide shading.