Research and Development

The University of Illinois broke ground in late April of 2018 on the $48 million Siebel Center for Design in Champaign. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the two-story, 59,000-sf facility will act as a campus-wide hub for human-centered design thinking and learning. Connecting the north and south areas of campus, the multidisciplinary center will feature five team-based collaboration studios, accommodating a total of 400 students, and a large workshop for 3D printing, fabrication, CNC machining, and laser and water-jet cutting.

Zoetis broke ground in April of 2018 on a 463,000-sf animal vaccine center in Suzhou, China. Combining research and development operations with integrated manufacturing and supply, the facility will produce vaccines for swine, cattle, fish, and companion animals. Offering sophisticated innovation suites and certified GMP laboratories, the project will support research on disease threats prevalent in China with a primary focus on aquaculture.

Manhattan College broke ground in late April of 2018 on the Patricia and Cornelius Higgins Engineering and Science Center in New York City. Designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, the three-story, 30,000-sf facility will feature a grand atrium, collaborative learning spaces, and 14 technology-rich labs for teaching and research. Physically connected to a refurbished Leo Hall and adjacent to the existing Research and Learning Center, the project will offer a total of 140,000 sf of academic space for engineering and the sciences.

The University of Cambridge opened a £60 million facility for the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in April of 2018 in the United Kingdom. Designed by BDP to promote collaboration and interaction, the 118,400-sf facility features a central atrium, BSL-2 and BSL-3 biological laboratories, cleanrooms, laser labs, optical and imaging suites, and a magnetic resonance research center.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro broke ground in April of 2018 on the $105 million Nursing and Instructional Building. Accommodating STEM programs for the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Health and Human Sciences, and the College of Nursing, the five-story, 180,000-sf facility will provide simulation training suites, classrooms, research labs, faculty offices, and teaching labs for biology, chemistry, and anatomy. Occupancy is expected in summer of 2020. A new chiller plant will also be constructed.

Johnson Controls opened a $150 million research and development complex in April of 2018 in Hopewell Township, Pa. Designed by Jacobs, the two-building, 357,000-sf project includes a 107,000-sf engineering office building and a 250,000-sf testing lab and support facility. Accommodating the production of advanced air handlers and chillers, the complex provides over 20 specialized laboratories and a training center. The project was built by a joint venture of McCarthy, P.J.

The University of Michigan broke ground in April of 2018 on the $75 million Ford Motor Company Robotics Building in Ann Arbor. Located on the North Campus, the four-story, 140,000-sf facility will provide the College of Engineering with collaborative research and development labs, classrooms, offices, high-bay spaces, a three-story fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles, and an outdoor obstacle course for walking robots. Ford Motor Company will occupy a laboratory on the top floor of the building and is providing $15 million in funding for the project.

The 92,000-sf, three-story GuideWell Innovation Center, located in the heart of the Lake Nona Medical City health and life sciences park in Orlando, Fla., is designed to be the epicenter for the development of new healthcare solutions. The building—which provides space for long-term lease, short-term projects, meetings, and social gatherings—can accommodate wet lab and office uses with an infrastructure that encourages the collaboration necessary to help companies move their ideas from brainstorming to commercialization.

Global consumer electronics company LG Group opened the $3.74 billion LG Science Park in April of 2018 in Seoul, South Korea. Accommodating up to 25,000 employees, the 18-building campus provides 11.9 million sf of flexible research and office space designed to foster collaborative innovation among scientists and staff from multiple disciplines, including nanotechnology, chemistry, fabrication, and life sciences.

The University of Washington broke ground in April of 2018 on the $230 million Population Health Building in Seattle. Designed by The Miller Hull Partnership to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the 290,000-sf facility will house the Department of Global Health, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and a portion of the School of Public Health. The project is being constructed using a Progressive Design-Build (PDB) delivery method with Lease Crutcher Lewis as construction manager.

Louisiana State University opened the 410,000-sf Patrick F. Taylor Hall in April of 2018 in Baton Rouge. Housing the College of Engineering, the $114 million project included construction of the 110,000-sf Chemical Engineering Building Addition and renovation of the existing 300,000-sf structure.

The University at Albany broke ground in April of 2018 on the $180 million Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Complex (ETEC) in Albany, N.Y. Designed by CannonDesign to foster collaboration with industry partners, the 245,000-sf facility will house UAlbany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity; the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences; the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center; and the New York State Mesonet, the nation’s most advanced weather-detection system.

Mercer University dedicated the $44 million Spearman C. Godsey Science Center in April of 2018 in Macon, Ga. Designed by Leo A Daly and Hussey Gay Bell to support collaboration and learning in motion, the four-story, 143,410-sf undergraduate facility provides 60 laboratories, 46 offices, seven lecture rooms, classrooms, and breakout spaces.

Lonza opened a 300,000-sf cell and gene therapy manufacturing center in April of 2018 in Pearland, Texas. The facility features eight independent cGMP modular cleanrooms with single-use bioreactors and a fully segregated fill/finish suite. Supporting the development of new therapies from initial concept through the pre-clinical, clinical, and commercialization phases, the integrated building includes research labs, offices, manufacturing and production spaces, and support.

A new approach to the design of diagnostic labs in resource-constrained settings reduces risk and improves outcomes while accelerating the project timeline and lowering costs. The approach is based on the concept of One Prototype, which uses similar design modules as a starting point for each lab facility, whether new construction or renovation, no matter what the scale.