Information Technology

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh is working in partnership with San Francisco-based Emerald Cloud Lab on a new $40 million facility that will house more than 200 discrete life science and chemistry research instruments, but very few human researchers, teachers, or students. Instead, the instruments and artificial intelligence tools within the new CMU Cloud Lab can be accessed remotely via the cloud from anywhere in the world to conduct experiments at any time of the day or night. The new 16,000-sf Cloud Lab will be housed in a CMU-owned building in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square, 10 minutes from the main campus. Construction is scheduled to conclude by May 2023 and to be fully operational by the fall 2023 semester.  

The University of Texas at San Antonio opened the $91.8 million San Pedro I building in January of 2023. Designed by Jacobs and Overland Partners, the six-story, 167,000-sf structure provides the School of Data Science with 84,000 sf of classrooms, labs, and offices for the departments of computer science, computer engineering, information systems and cybersecurity, and statistics and data sciences.

Boston University opened the $305 million Center for Computing & Data Sciences in December of 2022. KPMB Architects designed the iconic facility, which provides learning labs, classrooms, research venues, meeting spaces, administrative offices, and a business incubator. Located on the Charles River Campus, the 19-story structure comprises a four-story podium topped by 13 floors, with MEP systems located on additional basement and penthouse levels.

Lincoln Property Company and FCP are constructing the Colorado Research Exchange (CoRE) in Broomfield to provide leading-edge lab and office environments for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and technology companies. Designed by HKS Architects, the 461,500-rsf complex will include three structures ranging from 114,000 sf to 173,000 sf. Supported by advanced HVAC systems and emergency backup generators, this innovation ecosystem will offer leasable floor plates of up to 40,000 sf with ceiling heights between 14 and 18 feet.

Cornell University broke ground in October of 2022 on a $100 million facility for the Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the four-story, 133,000-sf structure will collocate the departments of computer science, information science, and statistics and data science in a single unified complex.

The University of Michigan broke ground in October of 2022 on the $145 million Leinweber Computer Science and Information Building in Ann Arbor. Designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, the 164,000-gsf facility will collocate the School of Information and the College of Engineering’s Computer Science and Engineering Division. The technology-rich complex will feature research labs and reconfigurable classrooms for programs in artificial intelligence, machine learning, human-computer interaction, and information privacy and security.

The University of Florida broke ground in October of 2022 on the Bruno E. And Maritza F. Ramos Collaboratory in Gainesville. Designed by Brooks + Scarpa, the $32 million development will add two curving wings to the existing home of the School of Design, Construction and Planning. Featuring a digital modeling and fabrication studio with 3D printers, the 50,000-sf expansion will accommodate interactive research venues, technology-enabled classrooms, seminar rooms, a multipurpose lecture hall, and a virtual design and construction lab.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst broke ground in September of 2022 on a $125 million building for the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences. Designed as a world-class hub for education, discovery, and outreach, the 90,000-gsf facility will provide research labs, interactive classrooms, maker spaces, conference and huddle rooms, and a 240-seat auditorium. The existing computer science building will be physically linked on each floor to the new development by an open, light-filled commons for graduate and undergraduate students.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)’s new Unity Hall is an academic research building focused on computational-based technologies for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), including robotics, data science, bioinformatics, and computational biology. The five-story, 100,000-sf facility brings together previously dispersed programs to create a centralized location for the university’s Smart World research cluster. In addition to dedicated labs, offices, and meeting spaces, Unity Hall houses shared dry lab and support spaces designed to foster the advanced multidisciplinary collaboration that is the hallmark of 4IR technologies. 

The University of Washington will break ground in fall of 2022 on the $102 million Interdisciplinary Engineering Building in Seattle. Designed by KieranTimberlake and McGranahan Architects, the 70,000-sf facility will act as the academic home for all undergraduate engineering students on campus.

Clark University broke ground in April of 2022 on the Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design in Worcester, Mass. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross as a hub for interdisciplinary innovation, the two-wing structure will house the Department of Computer Science, the Becker School of Design & Technology, and some programs within the Department of Visual and Performing Arts.

UK Research & Innovation began construction in June of 2022 on the £93 million National Quantum Computing Centre in Harwell in the United Kingdom. Located on the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Campus in Oxfordshire, the 50,000-sf innovation hub will provide dry labs, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, and offices where multidisciplinary teams will design, build, and operate quantum computers.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham broke ground on the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building in April of 2022. Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, the $78 million project involves the renovation and expansion of the existing Lyons-Harrison Research Building to accommodate leading-edge laboratories, computational suites, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, and offices.

Lehigh University opened the $145 million Health, Science and Technology Building in spring of 2022 in Bethlehem, Pa. Designed by HGA to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the 200,000-gsf facility features flexible open laboratories for research programs in biohealth, energy, and materials science. Interior glass walls enhance visibility and connectivity in the five-story structure, which includes multipurpose instructional venues, the Health Data Warehouse, and the administrative home of the College of Health.

George Mason University broke ground in April of 2022 on Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, Va. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering, the $243 million facility will accommodate the Institute for Digital Innovation and graduate programs for the School of Computing. Seamlessly integrating academic, research, and commercial endeavors, the 345,000-sf building will drive collaboration among students, faculty, industry, and government partners to discover new solutions for the world’s grand challenges.