Research and Development

Concordia College opened the $45 million Integrated Science Center in late August of 2017 in Moorhead, Minn. Designed by Foss Architecture and EYP Architecture and Engineering, the 130,200-sf project included the renovation of the existing Ivers and Jones Science Center and construction of a three-story, 58,000-sf atrium. Designed to support interactive, collaborative learning, the interdisciplinary facility provides 19 teaching labs and 16 classrooms, including T-search labs for integrated instructional and research activities.

Binghamton University opened the $70 million Smart Energy Building in late August of 2017 in Vestal, N.Y. Located in the Innovative Technologies Complex, the two-story, 114,000-sf project accommodates research and development programs for the departments of chemistry and physics. Supporting the creation of advanced clean energy solutions, the collaborative facility provides laboratories, classrooms, 45 faculty offices, and a total of 125 fume hoods.

Nasa Ames Research Center broke ground in August of 2017 on the $40 million Biosciences Collaboration Facility at Moffett Field in northern California. The two-story, 40,000-sf facility will provide 19,000 sf of BSL-2 wet labs and support and 21,000 sf of office and conference space. Designed for ease of reconfiguration, the project will include interdisciplinary research areas, procedure rooms, a radiation lab, environmental rooms, and a tissue culture suite.

There are positive signs that funding for scientific research will not only be maintained, but will once again increase. Earlier this month, the Senate Appropriations Committee overwhelmingly approved $36.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health for the upcoming fiscal year. If approved intact, it will mark the third consecutive year that the NIH receives a $2 billion increase. The House Appropriations Committee already approved a $1.1 billion increase.

Rhodes College dedicated the $34 million Robertson Hall in late August of 2017. Designed by Hanbury to support an interactive, experiential pedagogy, the 55,000-sf science facility houses six teaching labs, five research labs, two classrooms, faculty offices, and collaborative study areas. The sustainably designed building features automated LED lighting, sophisticated building systems, and areas with floor-to-ceiling glazing.

The United States Senate’s Committee on Appropriations approved a bipartisan bill in early September that provides $36.1 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2018, representing a $2 billion increase from 2017. The House of Representatives approved a $1.1 billion increase in NIH funding, with the actual amount expected to be closer to that allocated by the Senate bill.

The University of Oklahoma is constructing the 70,000-sf Gallogly Hall in Norman. Housing the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, the facility will provide advanced classrooms, teaching and research labs, group meeting areas, a makerspace, a rooftop terrace, and an interaction lounge. Comprising four stories and a basement level, the building will also house the offices of the Diversity and Inclusion program. Ground was broken on the project in April of 2017 and occupancy is expected in September of 2019. 

Micron Technology opened a $200 million semiconductor research and development facility in Boise in August of 2017. The four-story, 100,000-sf building will feature engineering laboratories with sophisticated manufacturing systems for the production of advanced memory chip technologies. Construction began on the project in October of 2015. Micron is also planning to build a three-story, 225,000-sf office facility on its Boise campus.  

Providence College is engaged in a $50 million expansion and renovation of the Albertus Magnus Science Complex in Providence, R.I. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the project includes construction of a three-story, 36,000-gsf addition that will act as a new front entrance, and renovation of 70,000 gsf in three existing buildings accommodating programs in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, physics, and psychology.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) recently completed the construction and fit-out of their new Life Science Laboratories after receiving a $95 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC)—a quasi-state agency dedicated to growing the state’s life sciences industry. The new interdisciplinary research wing features state-of-the-art equipment and core resources that will be shared across multiple research teams and industry partnerships. While the new core labs were built into a pre-existing shell with an open floorplate and operational MEP, the final design was driven by the cost-intensive equipment list. Since the agency grant designated a specific amount of funding for the equipment, the type of equipment was known but exact model and vendor was not known before many of the other design and programming decisions were made. 

The South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory broke ground in August of 2017 on a $58 million expansion and renovation of its Brookings facility. Located on the campus of South Dakota State University, the project includes 81,000 sf of new construction, including 3,762 sf of BSL-3 space and BSL-2E necropsy space. The existing laboratory space will subsequently be renovated. The project will support diagnostic testing and vaccine development for the prevention of infectious diseases. Completion is expected in 2020.

The University of Arizona is constructing the $107.5 million Bioscience Research Laboratories (BSRL) building in Tucson. Supporting collaborative translational research on the molecular basis of human health, aging, and disease, the four-story, 100,000-sf facility will provide wet labs, imaging suites, a genomics core, and space for informatics.

NASA opened the 118,000-sf Human Health and Performance Laboratory in late July of 2017 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Designed by HDR to consolidate and replace several existing facilities, the biomedical research building provides 250 open workstations, 44 offices, 17 labs, and a variety of meeting and conference rooms. The flexible three-story project was designed to be easily reconfigurable to accommodate programmatic changes.

Colorado State University opened the $70 million Biology Building in August of 2017 in Fort Collins. Designed by Hord Coplan Macht to foster interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 155,000-sf facility provides technology-enhanced classrooms, teaching and research labs, a lecture hall, faculty offices, and collaboration spaces. The four-story structure features highly efficient building systems and has attained LEED Gold certification.

The University of Edinburgh is planning to construct the Centre for Tissue Regeneration and Repair in Scotland in the United Kingdom. Designed by Stantec, the four-story interdisciplinary building will provide sophisticated research facilities for the study of stem cells, inflammatory mediators, and niche biology. Accommodating up to 500 researchers, the center will feature a collaborative double-height laboratory zone and space for the development of advanced imaging technologies.