Research Facilities Design (RFD)

Washington State University Tri-Cities opened the $30 million Collaboration Hall in Richland in September of 2021. Designed by ZGF Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 40,000-sf facility features technology-rich teaching labs for programs in physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, and anatomy and physiology.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology opened a $29 million academic building in September of 2021 in Terre Haute, Ind. Designed by RATIO Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 70,000-sf facility provides engineering design studios, flexible classrooms, collaborative workspaces, breakout rooms, and faculty innovation spaces.

With its Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation, Santa Clara University has bridged the stark divide between the entrepreneurial mindset of its Silicon Valley neighbors and the steadfastness typically found in academia. Colleges and universities frequently borrow ideas from, and sometimes consult with, the companies they hope will hire their graduates. Santa Clara took it one step further by involving the corporate donor in every phase of the design. The result is a facility—featuring student-driven project spaces, interconnected and accessible faculty work areas, and collaborative teaching and research environments—that represents the expectation of Silicon Valley for its graduates to be ready to work across disciplines and on integrated teams.

Carnegie Mellon University is constructing a $75 million replacement facility for the Alan Magee Scaife Hall of Engineering in Pittsburg. More than doubling the size of the original building, the 120,000-sf structure will provide technology-rich research labs, flexible classrooms, and spaces for formal and informal collaboration.

The University of California, Irvine opened the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building in February of 2021. Designed by LMN Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 204,750-sf facility houses the Samueli School of Engineering, the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Science, and the School of Physical Sciences.