Industry News

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.

Texas A&M University is planning to build a $127 million facility for the College of Dentistry in Dallas. The 158,000-sf Clinic and Education Building will offer classrooms, clinical areas, study spaces, and approximately 300 dental chair stations. The nine-story facility will include a parking garage on the first three levels and is slated for completion in fall of 2019.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is constructing the $102 million Physical Sciences Building. Designed by Wilson Architects to promote collaboration, the 79,500-gsf facility will accommodate 20 faculty members and 130 bench positions for the departments of physics and chemistry. Comprising two stories above ground and a basement level, the building will provide conference rooms, faculty offices, laboratories, and high bay spaces with vibration mitigation technologies.