University of Arizona Breaks Ground on Applied Research Building

The University of Arizona broke ground in June of 2021 on the $85 million Applied Research Building in Tucson. Collocating investigators from four colleges and eight departments, the three-story, 89,000-sf structure will offer sophisticated laboratories for engineering, applied physical sciences, and advanced manufacturing. Serving as a world-class test and integration center for satellites, probes, and spacecraft, the core facility will feature an anechoic chamber, a thermal vacuum chamber, a dynamic testing lab, and a high-bay payload lab for the assembly of stratospheric balloons and nanosatellites. The interdisciplinary building will also provide cleanrooms, faculty offices, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and a new home for the university's Imaging Technology Laboratory. SmithGroup is the architect for the design-build project, which is being constructed by McCarthy Building Companies. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which is slated for completion in January of 2023.