Sessions

The interdisciplinary collaboration at USC Viterbi showcases the power of innovation across diverse fields. The inspiring and future-facing vision of project donors and the blending of diverse disciplines has led to a groundbreaking human-centered computing center: Ginsburg Hall. In this session, Tim Cowell and Reese Stevens document how this project was managed from a storytelling and donor recognition perspective, and the challenges, opportunities, and unexpected benefits encountered along the way. They provide valuable insights into how strategic partnerships enhance interdisciplinary projects using technology and branding to tell powerful stories that resonate with donors and stakeholders to drive innovation.

Engineering has emerged as the nucleus for accelerating discovery into application, and universities are progressively realigning facilities to integrate engineering with a broad range of sciences. Session leaders examine the diverse resources and flexibility required to maximize opportunities for innovation. They profile the latest open and responsive environments where multi-disciplinary teams leverage specialized equipment and adaptable infrastructure for collaboration and productivity. They identify new solutions for accommodating evolving pedagogical and research trajectories. Through analysis of programming benchmarks, they chart recent trends across multiple case studies.

What should owners budget for cost escalation in 2025 and beyond as the Federal Reserve continues to reduce interest rates? What pricing structure should be used to accurately estimate costs for your science and technology projects? Attend this session to get better pricing and more accurate budget figures, and better understand construction cost drivers for different science and technology projects. The Vermeulens team delivers up-to-date construction cost forecasts based on economic conditions, job creation and cost data from more than 200 projects. Using analyses of equities, GDP, construction labor markets and their national construction weather map, they illustrate regional construction pricing targets for the next two years and demonstrate bid and purchasing strategies that lock in costs and reduce risk.

Princeton University is accelerating toward net zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2046, while also raising the bar for science building capability. The new Environmental Studies and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences buildings demonstrate a big part of the solution: transitioning from carbon-based district heating to a geo-exchange system with thermal energy storage – the second largest such system in the US. Session leaders examine project decisions that delivered high-performance research spaces -- including a vivarium, cleanrooms, trace metals laboratories, mass spectrometers, insectaries, and greenhouses -- in an all-electric facility, advancing both innovation and sustainability. They provide findings and lessons learned to equip others in reconciling science and sustainability targets.

In this session you’ll see how University of Tampa is moving its STEM programs forward with a multi-pronged strategy of space utilization, renovation, and new construction directed by a near-term STEM master plan. Session leaders set out a range of scenarios considered for housing programs, critical pieces of space assessment and utilization data, decision-making criteria, and user engagement processes. They profile the results: Reimagined labs for new ways of teaching, fresh solutions for future-facing research initiatives. They provide guidance and expectations for project continuity through leadership and team composition churn.

Programmatic needs and funding parameters are driving institutions to blend a wide array of uses into individual capital building projects -- from the inclusion of instructional and research spaces to the merging of programs from various colleges and departments within singular buildings. Session leaders deliver success strategies and case studies for using "blended buildings" to support individual program and departmental needs, while also creating vibrant and interconnected communities for research and learning. They illustrate methods for reconciling specific technical requirements with future-facing flexibility, and the efficiency and cost-effectiveness that can be achieved through symbiotic opportunities.

Technology is becoming a vital tool for reducing costs, optimizing space, enhancing safety and security, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Here you’ll see how "smart building" solutions leverage data from connected devices, and integrate streams to deliver sophisticated and actionable insights. Without adopting these technologies, organizations risk falling behind in sustainability, talent retention, and operational efficiency. Brian Haines demonstrates how to create and implement a successful smart buildings strategy, including the right mix of workplace management and smart building technologies, to improve your building's performance, occupant experience, and reduce environmental impact. 
 

Big energy-hogging tools are needed to compute the smallest matter on earth, and the space needs of new-frontier science initiatives are taxing administrators, faculty, and facility teams. Here you’ll see the kind of property commitments and dedicated research facilities that leading institutions are investing in for high-demand programs including quantum technology and semiconductor research. Session leaders illustrate the capabilities and limitations of existing campus infrastructures to support next-gen research and fab facilities, and criteria for making renovate/build decisions. They set out the sustainability challenges presented, options and implications of new environmental controls, and how to adapt spaces to work for emerging science and technologies.

The new home of Villanova University’s engineering programs illustrates innovative solutions to the architectural, pedagogical, and outdated-facility challenges that often hamper advanced research in growing programs in Material Science, Autonomous Vehicles, and Advanced Energy Analysis. Session leaders profile the expansion of Drosdick Hall, the integration of modern labs in a gothic architecture building with low floor-to-floor heights, and how to maintain building operations during construction. They set out new space allocation metrics and utilization benchmarks, successful stakeholder communication strategies, and a building feature set conducive to collaboration and recruitment initiatives.

The competitive landscape for enrollment and recruitment is increasing, requiring bespoke facility solutions to initiate or “level-up” research, science, and engineering programs. Forward-facing research facility planning processes must now be a participatory element of strategic planning and factor in urban vs suburban contexts, enrollment and research sponsorship levels, and target goals of initiating, renewing, or re-establishing institutional reputation. Session leaders contrast the contextualized concerns of institutions in a variety of circumstances and illustrate best practices for communication and balancing inspiration with reality. They examine case studies of altering current capital projects during a facilities planning process to establish achievable implementation plans that align with new funding models.