Amazon is planning to construct a $40 million robotics innovation hub in Westborough, Mass. The 350,000-sf facility will enable teams of researchers, engineers, and technicians to design, build, program, and test robots, including self-driving units for order fulfillment and warehouse management. The project will house R&D labs, manufacturing space, corporate offices, and a distribution center. Completion is expected in 2021.
Utah Valley University broke ground in November of 2019 on the $75 million Scott C. Keller Building in Orem. Housing the Woodbury School of Business, the 180,000-sf facility will feature experiential learning environments including the Bloomberg Lab, the SmartLab, the Entrepreneurship Institute, and the Money Management Resource Center. The building will also offer a large lecture auditorium, a student success center, 205 offices, and 30 classrooms with integrated lecture-capture technologies to enable students to participate remotely.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is constructing the Operations Support Building in Huntsville, Ala. Aided by $385 million in FY2019 funding, the facility is part of a $1 billion project to create the FBI’s HQ2 campus at the Redstone Arsenal. Enabling the relocation of approximately 4,000 employees from other locations, the six-building complex will support the bureau's cybercrime research and response operations. Three of the planned facilities, including the Operations Support Building, are currently under construction.
North Carolina A&T State University is constructing the $90 million Engineering Research & Innovation Center in Greensboro. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering to promote experiential learning, the 130,000-sf teaching and research building will accommodate programs including cybersecurity, energy science, and health technology.
The Universities at Shady Grove opened the $175 million Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Education Facility in November of 2019 in Rockville, Md. Supporting programs in engineering, biotechnology, cybersecurity, and healthcare, the collaborative 228,805-gsf building houses 10 teaching labs, 12 active learning classrooms, two 120-seat lecture halls, maker spaces, a product design lab, academic offices, an atrium, and an entrepreneurship hub.
Rochester Institute of Technology is constructing the Global Cybersecurity Institute in Rochester, N.Y. Designed by LaBella Associates, the 45,000-sf facility will provide technology-rich teaching, research, and administrative space for the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. The three-story building will feature a state-of-the-art cyber range, a cybersecurity learning center, a security operations hub, and an air-gapped computer lab for malware analysis.
RSP Developers is creating the e-novation Centre in Gurugram. The one million-sf campus is the first privately-owned R&D innovation hub in India and offers leasable office, research, training, and accelerator space for technology companies, academic institutions, and corporations. Sited on 12 acres, the LEED-Gold complex features advanced infrastructure for water recycling, renewable energy, and sustainable waste management for complete self-sufficiency.
Visteon, a leading producer of digital automotive cockpit electronics, opened the Visteon Querétaro Technical Center in October of 2019 in Mexico. The 64,583-sf facility includes two floors of collaborative workspaces where engineers will develop advanced cockpit electronics products including instrument clusters, infotainment and information displays, and new technologies for connected and autonomous driving. Accommodating up to 600 employees, the center offers four stories of underground parking, a gym, an outdoor terrace, and a cafeteria.
Tufts University is building the $90 million Joyce Cummings Center in Medford, Mass. Providing classrooms, auditoria, research labs, and collaboration spaces, the 148,000-gsf facility will accommodate programs in computer science, economics, and mathematics. Offering six stories and a basement level, the building will house the Data Intensive Studies Center, the Fletcher Executive Education and Global Master of Arts program, and the Tufts Gordon Institute.
Idaho National Laboratory opened two new computing research facilities in Idaho Falls in October of 2019. Designed by Flad Architects, the $90 million project will accommodate joint research with Idaho State University, Boise State University, and the University of Idaho.
Arizona State University broke ground in October of 2019 on a new headquarters for the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix. The $67 million facility will feature an open design that integrates learning environments, meeting rooms, study areas, offices, and a large event space. The five-story, 112,000-sf building will house the Global Forum, an interactive venue that will allow international presenters to address and engage with students via remote access.
Baldwin Wallace University broke ground in October of 2019 on the $25 million Austin E. Knowlton STEM Center in Berea, Ohio. Part of the school's strategic plan to meet the needs of growing industries for skilled graduates, the two-story, 55,000-sf project will accommodate programs in data science, artificial intelligence, mathematical modeling, cybersecurity, robotics, engineering, and physics.
Foxconn Industrial Internet will begin construction in fall of 2019 on the 261,600-sf Smart Manufacturing Center in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Accommodating up to 500 employees at full capacity, the facility will support the production of components for computer server racks with integrated manufacturing space, warehouse areas, and a 40,000-sf office mezzanine. The Smart Manufacturing Center was designed by Eppstein Uhen Architects and will be built by Mortenson Construction. Completion is expected by summer of 2020.
Harvey Mudd College broke ground in late September of 2019 on the $30 million McGregor Computer Science Center in Claremont, Calif. Designed by Steinberg Hart, the three-story, 36,000-sf facility will collocate the department of computer science with a campus-wide maker space to create a vibrant hub for project-based learning.
Arizona State University is planning to build the $192 million Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 7 (ISTB7) in Tempe. Designed by Architekton and Grimshaw, the 258,000-gsf facility will provide research labs for biological and life sciences, sustainability, and engineering, as well as offering dry labs for programs in computing, cybersecurity, and robotics. In addition to public outreach and exhibit spaces, ISTB7 will include classrooms and a conference center with a 450-seat presentation hall.
