Dublin City University opened the €80 million ($90.9 million) Polaris building in April of 2025 in Ireland. The five-story learning hub was designed by Sheppard Robson and Mullarkey Pederson Architects to drive excellence and innovation in STEM education and research.
Related Midwest and CRG are planning to establish the $9 billion Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) in Chicago. Supported by $500 million in state funding, this dynamic nexus will enable the entire ecosystem of researchers, suppliers, end users, and partners to accelerate quantum innovation, scale-up, and commercialization. The strategic location on the former U.S. Steel South Works site will ensure optimal access to academic affiliates, local talent, and power and water infrastructure.
Fresno City College opened the $87 million Science Building in March of 2025 to expand instructional capacity for students seeking to enter in-demand STEM professions. Designed by Lionakis, the 87,000-sf facility provides technology-enabled laboratories and instructional venues for courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering. The three-story structure features a maker space sponsored by Chevron, flexible study environments, and tutoring areas.
Purdue University broke ground on the $187 million Academic Success Building in Indianapolis in April of 2025. Designed by Perkins&Will and Browning Day, the 248,000-sf facility will optimize student outcomes through experiential education, and foster connections with corporate partners and the local community. Four floors of the 15-story structure will provide active learning classrooms, wet and dry STEM laboratories, and maker spaces.
McGill University is nearing the end of a 10-year project to construct 500,000 sf of research and teaching space on the site of a century-old hospital. The heritage wings of the former hospital will be rehabilitated, and state-of-the-art research and teaching functions will be accommodated in the new construction that is carefully inserted into the site. Renovated space totals 150,000 sf, with 380,000 sf of new construction. Construction is under way, and the building is set for completion in 2028, at a cost of $870 million (Canadian).
Biogen is planning to centralize its operations with a 580,000-sf global headquarters in the Kendall Common development in Cambridge, Mass. Representing a 15-year lease agreement, the facility’s strategic location will strengthen existing partnerships with MIT in research, education, and commercialization, and build on Biogen’s legacy as an integral part of the Kendall Square ecosystem.
The University of Mannheim officially broke ground in March of 2025 on a €39.5 million ($42.5 million) data center in Germany. Designed by Wulf Architekten to accommodate the university’s IT department, the leading-edge facility will feature modern workspaces for up to 150 occupants. From a vibrant central atrium, a seating staircase with integrated meeting areas will connect all floors of the four-story structure to foster social exchange.
George Mason University opened the $107 million Life Sciences and Engineering Building in Manassas in March of 2025. Located on the SciTech campus, the 132,000-sf facility leverages a central location in Virginia’s tech corridor to drive advances in research and education. The four-story structure houses growing programs within the colleges of Engineering and Computing, Science, Education and Human Development, and Visual and Performing Arts.
Harwell began construction in early 2025 on Tech Foundry West in the United Kingdom. This dynamic nexus is rising on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire and will offer 70,000 sf of leasable laboratory, advanced manufacturing, and office space. Designed by Scott Brownrigg, the development integrates individual units within a flexible layout to ensure future adaptability to varying multi-tenant arrangements.
The new Research Building IV (RB4) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) in Columbus, Ohio, provides an ideal environment for productivity, collaboration, and flexibility by using a space policy to maximize the efficient use of labs and ancillary spaces; a neighborhood floor plan; and shared resources. The 290,000-sf building, which opened in May 2023 as part of NCH’s Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI), aligns with the hospital’s “one team” culture by providing opportunities for scientists to collaborate, propelling pediatric research forward and closing the gap between lab research and bedside care.
San Diego State University began work in early 2025 on a new STEM facility to enhance student success and increase research access and productivity. SmithGroup designed this iconic campus destination to advance innovation and discovery while addressing growing industry demand for science graduates. Spanning 79,000 gsf, the five-story center will provide approximately 38,000 asf of space for instructional and research laboratories, including both wet and dry environments, as well as related support spaces and faculty offices.
Brandywine Realty Trust has completed construction on 3151 Market Street, a dynamic innovation facility in the heart of Philadelphia’s life sciences cluster. Designed by Gensler, the 472,000-sf tower offers purpose-built offices and customizable laboratories with options for chemical and biological use, GMP production, and vivarium operations. Collaboration and knowledge exchange are enhanced by an advanced conference center and a café, complemented by private terraces and green spaces to amplify employee productivity.
The Medical College of Wisconsin is constructing the $153 million Center for Cancer Discovery on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus. Centralizing the university’s cancer research programs under one roof, this dynamic hub will catalyze discoveries in cancer biology, expand clinical trials, and create groundbreaking treatments for patients.
Sciontec is planning to construct Hemisphere, a £156 million ($205.3 million) laboratory and office development in Liverpool, U.K. Strategically sited in the city’s Knowledge Quarter, the complex will include two eight-story structures offering a total of 216,861 nsf. Designed by AHR to foster workplace wellbeing and productivity, this nexus of discovery will also include a central biophilic plaza, interior greenhouses, showers, and a cycle hub.
Roche announced the launch of the Roche Genentech Innovation Center in March of 2025 on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. With an initial lease of 30,000 sf of lab space in the first phase of construction, Roche intends to expand their R&D presence to eventually accommodate 500 employees. The initiative will bring together cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism experts with data science and AI specialists to accelerate innovation in drug discovery and development.
