GKN Aerospace is planning to build the £32 million Global Technology Centre in Bristol in the United Kingdom. The 108,000-sf facility will accommodate 300 engineers engaged in collaborative research on additive manufacturing, advanced composites, and next-generation aircraft production. The public-private project is supported by £15 million in government funding and is slated for occupancy in 2020.
Cranfield University began construction in January of 2019 on the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) in Cranfield in the United Kingdom. Designed by Burrell Foley Fischer, the £65 million project will provide technology-rich laboratory spaces adjoining a live aerodrome with a hangar, a 737-400 aircraft, an intelligent movement area, and a remote air traffic control center with next-generation radar systems.
Park Electrochemical Corporation is planning a $19 million expansion of its aerospace design, development, and manufacturing operations in Newton, Kansas. Doubling the company's existing footprint at the Newton City-County Airport, the 90,000-sf facility will accommodate new mixing and delivery systems, hot-melt film and tape production lines, secure joint project suites, labs, offices, and additional freezer and storage areas. Construction will begin by mid-2019 with completion expected in spring of 2020.
LAVLE USA is partnering with Old Dominion University to create the $12 million Marine Electric Propulsion Simulation (MEPS) Laboratory in Newport News, Va. Supporting both military and commercial applications, the 22,000-sf facility will house sophisticated instrumentation for the development of electric propulsion, advanced energy storage, and autonomous systems technologies. Construction is expected to begin in summer of 2019 with completion in summer of 2020.
National Research Council Canada opened the Manufacturing and Automotive Innovation Hub in December of 2018 in London, Ontario. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects to promote collaboration and interaction, the flexible facility provides four laboratories, a high crane bay, and two vehicle bays to support the optimization of manufacturing supply chain operations and the development of innovative products and technologies. A 9,200-sf open office environment with abundant natural light is located on the second floor of the 16,740-sf facility.
General Motors began construction in October of 2018 on the GM Mobility Campus in Toronto. Designed by Quadrangle, the 160,000-sf facility will include R&D space for the creation of urban mobility solutions and a public experience area to showcase new transportation technologies. Vehicle sales and service functions will be located on the lower levels of the structure. Sited on seven acres, the integrated complex is designed as an innovation hub for the automotive industry.
Blue Origin will break ground in late 2018 on a $200 million manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Ala. Located in the Cummings Research Park, the project will produce the BE-V engine, a critical component of the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. This technology will enable the United States to have independent access to the International Space Station. The 200,000-sf facility will accommodate up to 342 employees. Other tenants of the Cummings Research Park include NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, and Radiance Technologies.
WABCO opened the $30 million Global Technology and Innovation Center in August of 2018 in Hanover, Germany. Accommodating over 420 employees, the 124,000-sf R&D hub will provide engineering and product development labs for the creation of automotive technologies. Designed to promote collaboration and interaction, the center will support the development of advanced safety and efficiency systems for autonomous, connected, and electric commercial vehicles. Additionally, WABCO opened a customer care center in July of 2018 in Rochester Hills, Mich.
The University of Birmingham broke ground in August of 2018 on a 136,500-sf facility for the School of Engineering in the United Kingdom. Located on the Edgbaston campus, the building will provide 26,900 sf of dedicated research space for the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). Designed by Associated Architects to promote innovation through collaboration with industry partners, the facility will include labs, design studios, and meeting spaces arranged around an atrium containing flexible learning environments.
Boeing will lease approximately 100,000 sf of research space to house the Aerospace and Autonomy Center in Cambridge, Mass. Part of MIT's Kendall Square Initiative project, the facility will be located on four floors of a 17-story, 400,000-sf building currently under construction at 314 Main Street. Occupancy is expected in late 2020. The $2 billion Kendall Square Initiative includes the development of six sites to provide research space, offices, housing, retail, and academic facilities.
BAE Systems is initiating a $45 million expansion of its facilities in Huntsville, Ala. Strategically sited to foster closer connections with the U.S. Army and the U.S. Department of Defense, the 83,000-sf project will provide engineering development suites, laboratories, manufacturing space, and offices to support new programs and existing businesses, including the design, development, and manufacturing of precision munitions and aircraft survivability technologies.
Construction will begin in late 2018 on the £20 million Maritime Knowledge Hub in Birkenhead in the United Kingdom. Located in the Wirral Waters redevelopment, the collaborative maritime education and research facility is being created by a partnership of Liverpool John Moores University, Peel Land and Property, Mersey Maritime, and Wirral Council.
Texas A&M University opened the $73 million Center for Infrastructure Renewal in April of 2018. Located on the RELLIS campus in Bryan, the 138,000-sf project accommodates research in nine critical infrastructure sectors: transportation systems, communications, advanced manufacturing, smart energy, information technology, chemicals, nuclear reactors, materials and waste, and water and wastewater systems.
DAE-IL Corporation, a manufacturer of automobile powertrain systems, began construction in December of 2017 on a $50 million manufacturing facility in Murray, Ky. Located in the Murray West Industrial Park, the 295,000-sf project will be DAE-IL's first production site in the United States. Completion is expected in late 2018.
The California Air Resources Board broke ground in late October of 2017 on its $419 million headquarters in Riverside. The facility will support advanced vehicle emissions testing and research with diagnostic suites, test cells, a chemistry lab, administrative offices, a 250-person auditorium, and a conference room. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will be one of the largest net-zero energy buildings in the United States. Construction will begin in February of 2017.
