Collaboration

Autodesk opened the Building, Innovation, Learning and Design (BUILD) Space in Boston in October of 2016. The 70,000-sf research and development center features a 34,000-sf fabrication lab for the creation of advanced construction products and technologies. Designed to promote collaboration between industry, academia, and architecture, engineering, and construction firms, the facility houses a five-ton bridge crane, six industrial robots, 3D printers, and workshops for metal, wood, and composite materials.

The new 320,000-sf Knight Cancer Institute research building currently being built by Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) on the south waterfront in Portland, Ore., will maximize scientific collaboration for more than 500 researchers through the use of flexible floorplans, shared equipment cores, and new ratio configurations for wet and dry lab space.

Lake Forest College is engaged in a $43 million renovation and expansion of the renamed Lillard Science Center in Lake Forest, Ill. The project includes the construction a large addition as well as the development of two entirely new wings. Designed by Stantec to support progressive pedagogies for interdisciplinary teaching and research, the completed 130,000-sf facility will provide collaborative classrooms and laboratories for programs in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, neuroscience, and environmental studies.

Research has begun at the £650 million Francis Crick Institute in London. Designed by HOK in partnership with PLP Architecture, the 10-story, 980,000-sf facility can accommodate 1,250 scientists and 250 support staff engaged in interdisciplinary biomedical research. The Crick Institute represents a partnership between University College London, Imperial College London, and King’s College London, working in collaboration with the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and Cancer Research UK.

Clark College opened its $40 million STEM building in October of 2016 in Vancouver, Wash. Designed by LSW Architects to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the three-story, 70,000-sf project provides classrooms, teaching labs, and offices for the departments of biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and engineering.

Whittier College opened the Science and Learning Center in September of 2016 in Whittier, Calif. Designed by Steinberg Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the $52 million project included a complete renovation of the 89,000-sf Stauffer Science Building to create a collaborative, interdisciplinary facility for STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The College of William & Mary opened the third phase of the Integrated Science Center (ISC3) in September of 2016 in Williamsburg, Va. Accommodating programs in applied science, biology, chemistry, psychology, neuroscience, and computer modeling, the $74 million interdisciplinary facility features 13 chemistry research labs, four teaching labs, instrumentation suites, a computational lab, a biological sciences makerspace, a spectroscopy lab, and a complete machine shop.

Today’s scientific researchers are improving their productivity, research outcomes, and technological advances by using the knowledge of many disciplines. This emerging field of “convergence science” goes beyond traditional collaboration to the much larger intellectual intersection of engineering, physical sciences, life sciences, and other disciplines, plus big data. In this model, research includes funding from private sources or foundations that demand marketable results quickly.

Nova Southeastern University opened the $100 million Center for Collaborative Research in September of 2016 in Davie, Fla. Designed by ACAI Associates, the six-story, 215,000-sf facility features wet and dry laboratories, a high-performance computing environment, the AutoNation Institute for Breast and Solid Tumor Cancer Research, the NSU Cell Therapy Institute, and the Institute for Natural and Ocean Sciences Research.

The University of Texas at El Paso is planning to break ground in early 2017 on the $85 million Interdisciplinary Research Building. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 150,000-gsf project will feature collaborative research labs, a vivarium, imaging suites, core labs, a visualization suite, conference rooms, an atrium, an auditorium, and academic and administrative offices.

The University of Michigan is planning to build the $75 million Ford Motor Company Robotics Building on the North Campus in Ann Arbor. Part of the College of Engineering, the four-story, 140,000-sf facility will feature collaborative research and development labs, classrooms, offices, high-bay space, and a fly zone for autonomous aerial vehicles. Ford Motor Company will occupy a laboratory on the top floor of the building and is providing $15 million in funding for the project. Completion is expected in late 2019.

The University of Wyoming will break ground in October of 2016 on the $105 million Engineering Education and Research Building in Laramie. Designed by ZGF for maximum flexibility, the four-story, 100,000-sf facility will feature drop-down utilities and services to create reconfigurable laboratories for collaborative teaching and research.

Auburn University broke ground in September of 2016 on the Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory in Auburn, Ala. The new home for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will be developed through the complete renovation and expansion of an existing textile building to create an advanced teaching and research complex.

Johnson & Wales University opened the $42 million John J. Bowen Center for Science and Innovation in September of 2016 in Providence, R.I. Featuring an innovation lab and a technology and design hub, the three-story, 71,000-sf facility provides classrooms, faculty offices, collaboration spaces, and teaching and research labs for biology, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, and microbiology. Ground was broken in April of 2015 on the project, which was designed by Edward Rowse Architects and Architectural Resources Cambridge.

The University of Saskatchewan will begin construction in fall of 2016 on the CAD$63 million Collaborative Science Research Building in Saskatoon. The facility will accommodate research on water security and plant science, enabling the development of advanced biofuels, water purification systems, drought-resistant crops, and sustainable pest-control mechanisms. Completion is expected in spring of 2018.