Event Schedule

Registration for the Fundamentals Course attendees.

What you will learn: This course covers the basic elements of planning and design of labs and facilities for teaching and research – upfront planning and programming, teaching lab designs, active learning space designs, informal learning space designs, research lab designs, building design, and planning for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and lighting systems components. Participants will come away with a basic understanding of the terminology, concepts, processes, standards, numbers, and types of labs, scientific equipment, and furniture (as applicable) involved in teaching and research facility planning and design. The course also serves as primer for the two-day conference that follows and will be highly interactive with Q&A throughout.

Who should attend: This one-day course is open to all who have interest in lab planning and design: project managers, facility planners and managers, lab managers, architects, engineers, construction engineers, faculty, researchers, and scientists employed at colleges and universities, and A/E/C firms.

Space is limited and enrollment is subject to approval.

Cost:
$1,375 Fundamentals Course only
$1,100 with registration to two-day conference immediately following

(Fees include course materials, continental breakfast, refreshment breaks, lunch)

A hosted beer and wine bar along with light snacks will be served.

Attendees may sign-in and pick up their registration materials here, or the next morning at the conference ballroom foyer.

Guests welcome.

In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, traditional approaches to academic space management are no longer sufficient. Hybrid learning, fluctuating enrollment patterns, and evolving pedagogical needs are challenging space utilization, cost efficiency, and student experience. This session explores the use of innovative technologies, including AI-driven space analytics and dynamic scheduling systems, to reimagine the physical environments for the new higher ed paradigm. Through case studies and data-backed insights, David Wilder highlights strategies empowering institutions to make data-informed decisions, improve operational agility, and align space planning with academic goals. He provides a forward-looking framework to navigate change, foster innovation, and create future-ready learning ecosystems. 

Miami Dade College has been working to make better use of existing facilities through a series of projects and strategic planning efforts, and here you’ll see how repurposing, renovation, and modernization investments are paying off. Leo Bobadilla examines the data gathering process and key decision-making criteria used to prioritize projects, set budgets, improve space utilization, support new programs, and reduce infrastructure costs and deferred maintenance. He highlights facility features supporting programmatic needs of the careers of today and tomorrow, and creating more welcoming and efficient environments.

Engineering programs remain the critical enablers of the higher ed innovation mission, translating scientific discoveries into real-world solutions, and driving regional economic growth. In this session, presenters reveal newly emerging models for engineering facilities that support today’s rapidly evolving teaching and research needs, emphasizing flexibility, collaboration, and community engagement. They examine differentiating facility features that foster partnerships across disciplines, integrate an increasingly diverse range of sciences and shared resources, and maximize opportunities for innovation that benefit both academia and the local economy.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library reinvention serves as a blueprint for how campus spaces can respond to trending student preferences and institutional goals using thoughtful stakeholder engagement and a phased, budget-conscious approach. Session leaders illustrate how to productively involve students and staff to ensure spaces reflect current and future user needs — including collaborative zones, tech-driven amenities, and intuitive layouts. They provide findings on phased construction processes enabling continual refinement while keeping facilities operational and costs manageable. They profile how this model of balancing innovation with fiscal responsibility empowers institutions to adapt confidently in uncertain times.

Lunch hosted by Vacuubrand.

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. 

There’s a new set of criteria defining successful research campuses, and those differentiators need to be reflected in master planning decisions to remain competitive into the future. Presenters profile development of Breakthrough Properties' Torrey Heights campus, a 520,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art life science development, and the next-gen tools and planning decisions that resulted in the property attracting high-value tenants and being fully leased from the outset. They highlight standout features including an amenity building, campus connectivity, and amenity-rich public plazas that create a vibrant, synergistic environment supporting innovation and recruitment. They examine data-driven design strategies encompassing site topography, tenant flexibility, energy efficiency, wellness, and long-term value.

Drawing from examples in both Europe and the US, this presentation delivers lessons learned from both sides of the Atlantic, exploring attitudes and trends that define highly successful research endeavors, and what US institutions can learn from the European approach to research development.  Presenters examine financing strategies and procurement, flexibility, collaboration culture, energy efficiency, site selection and technical performance in the definition of successful research endeavors, and what drives innovation. They profile evolutionary models for research building and campuses, and innovation in the spatial structures of modern working environments.

Next generation campus utilization models must go beyond allocation, scheduling, and assignment performance metrics to focus on space impact and effectiveness in terms of mission alignment and accessibility. Chris Morett illustrates how and why buildings and spaces become detached from campus mission priorities, and how to course-correct to ensure each square foot is delivering strategic value for institutional programs and agendas. He profiles strategies for leveraging the trending concentration on space efficiency to elevate conversations, better inform decisions on where to invest limited capital, and use existing resources to drive impact.

Reception hosted by Siemens

(Guests welcome)

See the full list of participating exhibitors and event hosts.

In today's climate of shifting budgets, evolving student values, and enrollment pressures, higher education institutions need more than just new buildings -- they need clear, resonant stories that inspire action. This session profiles the transformation of The University of Wyoming Foundation’s Gateway Center through fundraising and friendraising – aligning the space vision with stakeholder values and equipping the university with tools to drive long-term impact. Presenters explore how forward-looking storytelling, design thinking, and strategic alignment are actively positioning a decade-old facility for a more resilient and connected future. They illustrate the use of versatile technology, tailored donor engagement, and integrated messaging to differentiate institutions and deepen stakeholder relationships in a crowded and uncertain higher ed landscape. 

Now is the time to realign academic, capital, and master plans into a comprehensive program and move forward with confidence. Sandie Shea-Crabb and Tom Haskell profile the coordinated development framework that University of Connecticut has put in place, and the  data and engagement requirements to plan for across academic units, students, faculty, and staff. They illustrate findings from an extensive review of existing real estate to optimize funding opportunities and site selection and integrate the campus experience. They demonstrate what the current NextGenCT initiative is delivering in terms of funding, planning, design, construction, and coordination to bring an adaptive campus vision to fruition.

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. 

Rapidly evolving financial and programmatic drivers are forcing higher ed and healthcare organizations away from legacy space use practices toward a new paradigm that maximize the productivity of campus assets. Presenters examine three areas of innovation that leading institutions are now adopting: the use of hybrid attendance metrics, rethinking space allocation and designations to increase efficiency; and the use of user profiles to align space resources with the needs of students, staff, healthcare workers, and visitors. They highlight the results that can be achieved in terms of improved operational efficiency, elevated user satisfaction, productivity, and wellbeing.

Facilities operations and capital planning were once grounded in predictability - long timelines, steady enrollment, and stable funding. But that world is gone. Today's leaders face whiplash from shifting modalities, shrinking student populations, deferred maintenance, and increasing pressure to justify every square foot. Amid the chaos, a quiet transformation is underway. In this session, presenters illustrate how leading institutions are turning their campuses into living, responsive systems by leveraging passive WiFi data and AI to make smarter, faster decisions. Using recent case studies they offer a model for treating space not as a fixed asset, but as a dynamic engine of institutional resilience, avoiding millions in unnecessary capital costs and reclaiming underused space.

Asset optimization and repositioning is key to re-energizing campus life and ensuring long term resilience, but how does this process work, and what are the best practices for planning and designing for the future? Presenters survey Penn State and Rutgers case studies and distill best practices for leveraging existing campus capital at different scales, budget ranges, and use types. They highlight examples of underutilized campus assets being reinvigorated and reimagined for maximum impact to address ongoing campus and student needs. They map out a holistic planning process, an integrated design approach, and a multifaceted stakeholder engagement effort, to transform facilities into multimodal, experiential environments that meet and support strategic growth.