Industry News

Carnegie Mellon University celebrated the opening of the $100 million Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) in late February of 2026. Located at Hazelwood Green, the site of a former steel mill in Pittsburgh, the 150,000-sf facility embodies the evolution of that industrial heritage by uniting programs in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence under one roof. Perkins Eastman's vision for the three-story structure created flexible high-bay research spaces and R&D venues that can address robotic systems at different scales.

The University of Oklahoma (OU) is constructing the Life Sciences Laboratories Building in Norman to expand its research capacity while addressing a crucial need for teaching labs tailored to the evolving demands of biology and chemistry education. Designed by CannonDesign and Miles Architecture, the $100 million project will provide 25 modern lab classrooms and a 250-seat lecture hall on the ground floor, with approximately 80,000 sf of the 105,000-sf structure dedicated to undergraduate learning.

AbbVie is planning a $380 million expansion of its headquarters campus in North Chicago, Ill. Construction will begin in spring of 2026 on two plants for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Enabling the creation of innovative treatments for neurological conditions and obesity, the next-generation facilities will integrate advanced manufacturing technologies with artificial intelligence (AI) to maximize purity, efficacy, and operational efficiency. Full production is expected to commence in 2029.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) began construction in February of 2026 on the Center for Cybersecurity Research, Education & Advanced Training. Designed by McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, the $48 million project will transform the Bevill Center, a hotel and conference venue, into an interdisciplinary nexus for collaboration, learning, and discovery.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center opened University Hospital in February of 2026 in Columbus. Designed by HDR, the $1.9 billion tower will drive high-impact discoveries that translate to improvements in patient care while providing outstanding clinical education to the next generation of healthcare professionals. The 1.9 million-sf development represents the largest single-facility construction project in the university’s history and offers 820 beds in private rooms equipped with sophisticated telehealth technologies.