Industry News

The University of Mississippi Medical Center dedicated the $50 million Translational Research Center in November of 2017 in Jackson, Miss. Designed by Flad Architects, the collaborative 124,852-sf building houses the Neuro Institute, the Technology Transfer Office, and the MIND Center, a neurocognitive dementia research facility. Providing both wet and dry laboratories, the center houses business incubator space, conference rooms, faculty and administrative offices, and space for clinical trials.

Boston College is planning to build a $150 million science center in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Housing the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the 150,000-sf facility will support programs in applied sciences, engineering, design, global public health, and computer and data sciences. Designed to promote innovation, the interdisciplinary building will feature makerspaces, research labs, a cleanroom, a collaboration commons, and technology-rich teaching labs for robotics, computing, and data visualization.

The Chemours Company, a specialty chemical manufacturer, will begin construction in January of 2018 on the $150 million Discovery Hub in Newark, Del. Supporting collaborative research, commercialization, and training initiatives, the four-story, 312,000-sf facility will be located on the University of Delaware’s Science, Technology, and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. The Discovery Hub will provide 100 labs, 20 huddle rooms, 50 specialty rooms, conference spaces, and cafés. Completion is expected in early 2020.

Montgomery County Community College opened the $32 million Health Sciences Center in November of 2017 in Blue Bell, Pa. The 145,000-sf project, which included new construction and renovation of an existing building, provides 14 health science labs, 11 classrooms, a 25-station dental clinic, imaging suites, simulation rooms, offices, a fitness center, an instructional gym, and a 1,100-seat multipurpose sports hall. The sustainably designed facility features natural and LED lighting, low-VOC materials, and sophisticated building systems.

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.