Transportation

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.

Rexnord Industries is planning to construct a 248,000-sf building in Downers Grove, Ill. The project will accommodate manufacturing operations as well as providing a headquarters facility for Rexnord’s aerospace division. Completion is expected by 2019. Based in Milwaukee, Rexnord is comprised of two strategic platforms, Process & Motion Control and Water Management. The Process & Motion Control platform designs, manufactures, and services sophisticated mechanical components used in complex systems.

Texas A&M University broke ground in June of 2017 on the $70 million headquarters of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). Located on the RELLIS campus in Bryan, the 190,000-sf facility will provide advanced engineering research facilities for the creation of transportation technologies and strategies for the optimization of infrastructure, construction materials, driver safety, and automated vehicles. The building will include a single-story research wing with a vehicle simulator lab, a three-story conference wing, and a multi-story tower.

United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is planning to build a $75 million additive manufacturing research center in East Hartford, Conn. The 185,000-sf facility will support the creation of advanced components for the aerospace industry using 3D printing technologies. A $40 million engine compressor research building will also be constructed. Additionally, UTC opened a $60 million, 185,000-sf innovation hub in May of 2017, for which LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought.