Collaboration

Ramaco Carbon began construction in October of 2018 on the Carbon Advanced Materials (iCAM) facility in Sheridan, Wyo. Providing collaborative research space for academic, government, and industry partners, the 10,000-sf building will include a 3D printing and manufacturing suite, a pilot plant, laboratories, and offices. Designed by Dynia Architects, the facility will support the development of advanced products based on the carbon derived from coal. The engineering consultant for the center is WWC Engineering.

The University of Birmingham opened the £40 million Collaborative Teaching Laboratory in October of 2018 in the United Kingdom. Designed by Sheppard Robson to support team-based, experiential learning, the three-story, 72,120-sf facility accommodates STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The interdisciplinary building provides an e-lab, a wet lab, a dry lab, and a discovery zone with interactive media displays on the ground floor.

The College of the Holy Cross is planning to begin construction in spring of 2019 on a $92 million center for the arts in Worcester, Mass. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the two-level, 85,500-sf building will include a 400-seat theater and concert hall, an experimental 200-seat studio theater, a media lab, rehearsal and dressing rooms, and workshops for lighting and set design.

South Dakota State University broke ground in October of 2018 on the $46.1 million Raven Precision Agriculture Center in Brookings. The 129,000-sf facility will provide collaborative classrooms and laboratories for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the College of Engineering. Accommodating sophisticated instrumentation for data analytics and leading-edge farm equipment, the building will include flexible research areas for academic and industry partners.

The University of Ottawa opened the CAD$115 million STEM Complex in October of 2018. Designed by Perkins+Will to accommodate programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the collaborative 312,000-sf facility features open-plan teaching labs, a dedicated prototyping center, maker spaces with 3D printers, and an entrepreneurship hub.

The University of Kentucky opened the first phase of its $265 million health research facility in September of 2018. Located in Lexington, the six-story, 300,000-sf building accommodates the study of health disparities in conditions including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and substance abuse. Designed by HGA Architects and Engineers, the multidisciplinary research facility features open labs with collocated computational and wet bench space. The first phase of construction included completion of the first three floors and parts of the basement level.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison broke ground in September of 2018 on a $133 million project to accommodate the department of Chemistry. A nine-story tower will be added to the Daniels Chemistry Building, providing three floors of undergraduate teaching labs, one floor of research labs, two large lecture halls, a flexible active learning studio, an atrium, an information commons, conference rooms, offices, and classrooms. Six undergraduate teaching labs in the Daniels Building will be renovated, and new classrooms, offices, and study areas will be created.

The distinctive design characteristics of the tech workplace are spilling over into the scientific research environment. Elements like glass-walled open-plan offices and labs, activity-based spaces, and the embrace of WELL standards are all making an appearance in Merck & Co., Inc.’s new nine-story, multi-disciplinary discovery research facility, set to open in South San Francisco in 2019. Along with other yet-to-be determined innovations, these features likely will be incorporated in the $8 billion in U.S. capital projects the pharmaceutical giant announced it will invest in over the next five years.

The University of California, Irvine opened the $67 million Anteater Learning Pavilion in October of 2018. Designed by LMN Architects, the dedicated active learning facility includes the two-story Pavilion which houses a 250-seat lecture hall and a 400-seat lecture hall with double-tier seating. A central circulation structure called the Bridge provides connectivity to a three-story wing offering classrooms, offices, computer labs, and a student mixing hall.

Columbia University opened The Forum in September of 2018 in New York. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Dattner Architects as executive architect, the 56,000-sf facility provides a 437-seat auditorium, conference and breakout rooms, collaboration spaces, and faculty offices. Acting as the gateway to the new Manhattanville campus, the triangular-shaped building offers flexible multiuse spaces and a 4,200-sf café on the ground floor to promote community engagement.

The University of Iowa broke ground in October of 2018 on the $33 million Psychological and Brain Sciences Building in Iowa City. Acting as a gateway to the east side of campus, the six-story, 64,000-sf teaching and research building will offer technology-rich classrooms and labs, administrative offices, conference rooms, and breakout spaces. The collaborative facility will feature a learning commons and an interior plaza illuminated by natural light. Completion is expected in 2019.

The University of Texas at Arlington opened the $125 million Science & Engineering Innovation & Research Building (SEIR) in September of 2018. Designed by ZGF Architects and Page Southerland Page to accommodate interdisciplinary biomedical research, the six-story, 229,000-sf facility includes a two-story classroom wing, a four-story research wing, and a basement laboratory level with vibration-mitigated instrumentation suites.

Georgia Southern University opened the $33.6 million Interdisciplinary Academic Building in September of 2018 in Statesboro. Designed by HOK, the three-story, 110,000-sf facility provides flexible learning spaces and laboratories for the College of Health and Human Sciences. The interdisciplinary building accommodates programs in interior design, history, foreign languages, writing & linguistics, international studies, health professions, and fashion merchandising and apparel design.

Brigham Young University opened an $80 million facility for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering in September of 2018 in Provo, Utah. Designed by VCBO Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory programming  and design consultant, the five-story, 200,000-sf facility features a dedicated laboratory annex, a student innovation floor, and a prototyping shop.

Arizona State University opened the $120 million Biodesign Institute Building C in September of 2018 in Tempe. Designed by ZGF Architects and BWS Architects, the five-story, 191,000-sf project features wet labs for chemistry, engineering, and biological sciences arranged in collaborative neighborhoods.