Research and Development

Mayo Clinic is planning to locate three research centers in a four-story facility on the Destination Medical Center campus in Rochester, Minn. Designed by HOK and RSP Architects, the project will be built, owned, and operated by M.A. Mortenson. The Mayo Clinic will be the anchor tenant in the 89,000-sf building, which will accommodate the Center for Individualized Medicine, the Center for Regenerative Medicine, and the Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery.

Bayer HealthCare opened a $100 million pharmaceutical testing laboratory in July of 2017 in Berkeley, Calif. Featuring a sophisticated HVAC system with robust filtration controls, the three-story facility will support research, development, and quality control operations for the production of Bayer’s hemophilia A treatments. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Mortenson Construction has developed an augmented reality (AR) mobile app to provide a digital representation of the new Computer Science and Engineering building (CSE2) under construction at the University of Washington in Seattle. By pointing a smartphone at the construction site, or at a printout of the site, users can experience an immersive virtual view of the main lobby, workroom, robotics lab, and offices. A preliminary version of the Mortenson AR/VR app is now available for download on iPhone and Android devices.

The University of Minnesota Duluth broke ground in July of 2017 on the $42 million Chemistry and Advanced Material Science Building (CAMS). Designed by BWBR, the 58,000-sf project will house technology-rich chemistry labs and classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, and the Advanced Materials Center, a facility supporting training programs in 3D printing and microelectronics. Faculty offices, student spaces, classrooms, and labs will be collocated on each floor of the building to promote interaction. Completion is expected in summer of 2019.

The University of California, San Diego will begin construction in summer of 2018 on the $608 million Living and Learning Neighborhood at North Torrey Pines in San Diego. The design-build project team includes HKS as lead architect and architect of record, working in collaboration with Clark Construction, associate design firm Safdie Rabines Architects, and landscape architect OJB.

The University of New South Wales will construct the $133 million Science and Engineering Building on its Kensington campus in Sydney. Designed by Grimshaw as an extension of the existing Hilmer Building, the 258,000-sf facility will provide the School of Chemical Engineering and the School of Chemistry with flexible core research labs, interactive instructional spaces, meeting rooms, and offices.

Texas A&M University is building a $46 million STEM education facility in San Antonio. Designed by Stantec to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the 136,000-sf facility will provide 25 classrooms and 12 laboratories, including teaching labs for biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. The building will house the Center for Experiential Learning and Community Engagement as well as accommodating the study of microscopy, genetics, metabolism, physiology, and ecology.

Sheffield Hallam University is planning to construct the £14 million Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre in the United Kingdom. Designed by HLM Architects as a leading-edge research and development hub for the study of physical activity, the facility will feature a 3D gait analysis and scanning lab; an advanced sports pitch with cameras and tracking technologies; a 25-foot-high indoor lab; a manufacturing workshop; and physiological imaging and measuring suites.

3M Co. is planning to construct a 272,000-sf campus in Austin, Texas. Designed by STG Design and developed by Trammell Crow, the state-of-the-art facility will replace operations currently located in northeast Austin. Sited in the Parmer business park, the project will accommodate approximately 800 employees engaged in R&D, supply chain management, and marketing. Construction will begin on the facility by late 2017 with completion expected by April of 2019. 

Metropolitan State University of Denver opened the $60 million Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building in June of 2017. Featuring collaborative learning spaces, technology-rich labs, and a public-private enterprise center, the 117,000-sf facility will support an interdisciplinary curriculum integrating aerospace science, industrial design, computer science, information technology, and civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering.

Merrick & Company will support the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate in the development of operational planning, IT infrastructure, biorepository transfer, and acquisition of future contracts for stand-up and operation of the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) now under construction in Manhattan, Kansas.

Eli Lilly completed a $90 million expansion of its San Diego biotechnology center in June of 2017. The 180,000-sf facility features the Life Science studio, a technology-rich laboratory suite supporting advanced drug discovery and development. Promoting global collaboration and innovation in the design, synthesis, and screening of molecules, the center will accommodate research in immunology, diabetes, oncology, and neurodegeneration. 

The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa will begin construction in late 2017 on the $50 million Life Sciences Building in Honolulu. Designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the four-story, 45,000-sf facility 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.

Pfizer broke ground in June of 2017 on a $200 million research and development facility in Chesterfield, Mo. Housing the BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences group, the 295,000-sf project will enable the advancement of Pfizer’s biologics, vaccines, and gene therapy portfolio. Designed by Forum and EwingCole, the facility will feature flexible laboratories, open offices, and collaboration spaces with advanced conferencing technologies.

The Huntsman Cancer Institute opened the $173 million Primary Children’s and Families’ Cancer Research Center in June of 2017 in Salt Lake City. Providing advanced genetic sequencing technologies, the six-story, 242,000-sf facility houses biomedical laboratories, space for clinical trials, administrative offices, and a vivarium. The center was designed by Architectural Nexus with Jacobsen Construction as general contractor. The Huntsman Cancer Institute is part of the University of Utah.