Energy Use Reduction

Piramal Pharma Solutions broke ground in February of 2022 on a £45 million antibody drug conjugate (ADC) facility in Grangemouth, Scotland. Accommodating both manufacturing and aseptic fill/finish operations, the structure will provide additional capacity for the creation of targeted cancer treatments and other innovative therapies. Representing an expansion of Piramal's existing ADC campus, the project is being delivered by Merit using its FlexiPOD V4.0 platform.

While creating generic/flexible lab spaces that can be adapted to a variety of different research needs continues to be the preferred approach—especially in higher education buildings—there is also a growing need for highly specialized lab and support facilities designed for very specific types of research. As a result, facility designers are increasingly tasked with balancing the demand for both open generic/flexible labs and specialized lab spaces in a single building with the added challenge of improving energy efficiency, sustainability, and operating costs.

Virginia Tech broke ground in February of 2022 on the $85 million Hitt Hall in Blacksburg. Providing an expanded physical presence for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, the 100,000-gsf facility will enhance interdisciplinary synergies between the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering.

Colorado School of Mines began construction in January of 2022 on the $18.6 million Labriola Innovation Hub in Golden, Colo. Designed by OZ Architecture, the 37,000-sf building will provide collaborative environments for hands-on learning and discovery. Featuring maker spaces, design classrooms, and team project spaces, the interdisciplinary structure will enable faculty, students, alumni, and industry partners to develop new solutions for critical societal problems.

XNRGY Climate Systems is planning to construct its US headquarters in Maricopa County, Arizona. Designed by Gensler, the $300 million facility will provide one million sf of advanced manufacturing space for the production of next-generation HVAC solutions. Accelerating research and development in key areas such as immersion cooling, the sustainably designed complex will enable XNRGY to meet growing demand in sectors including hyperscale data centers, life sciences, semiconductor cleanrooms, energy storage, and healthcare.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory completed construction in early 2022 on the $90 million Energy Sciences Center in Richland, Wash. Designed by Kirksey Architecture, the 138,000-gsf facility features 52 modular labs for fundamental research in chemistry, materials science, and computing. Accelerating the discovery of new energy, transportation, and manufacturing technologies, the state-of-the-art building includes an NMR spectroscopy suite and four imaging labs for advanced electron microscopy.

Imperial College London opened the £70 million Sir Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub in London in December of 2021. Designed by Allies and Morrison, the 13-story, 215,000-sf building provides flexible laboratories, a 160-seat auditorium, and a variety of social spaces to foster interaction and informal knowledge exchange.

Phase 3 Real Estate Partners and Bain Capital are constructing the Genesis Marina life sciences campus in Brisbane, Calif. Providing over 570,000 rsf of Class A laboratory and office space, the three-building complex will offer floor plates of up to 42,000 sf serviced by robust MEP infrastructure.

George Brown College broke ground in December of 2021 on a CAD$160 million mass timber building in Toronto. Designed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects and Acton Ostry Architects, Limberlost Place will house the School of Architectural Studies, the School of Computer Technology, and the Brookfield Sustainability Institute. The 10-story, 204,000-sf facility will also accommodate research labs, flexible classrooms, lecture halls, computer labs, meeting rooms, a childcare facility, and a three-story atrium.

Pennsylvania State University opened the $98.5 million Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building in December of 2021 in University Park. Designed by HOK, the 105,000-sf facility provides the College of Agricultural Sciences with a state-of-the-art vivarium, a general-purpose classroom capable of accommodating 100 students, a 48-seat seminar room, and faculty offices.

The University of Redlands is planning to construct the 30-acre University Village adjacent to its existing campus in Redlands, Calif. Moore Ruble Yudell has been selected as the architect and planner for the public-private development, which is being created in collaboration with REACH Redlands LLC, a joint venture of Republic Metropolitan, Creative Housing Associates, and Arteco Partners.

The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School is constructing the $325 million New Education and Research Building in Worcester. Designed by ZGF Architects and ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, the 350,000-sf facility will house the departments of neurology and neurobiology, a gene therapy center, and programs in animal research, molecular medicine, and human genetics and evolutionary biology.

The University of California, San Diego opened the $67 million Design and Innovation Building in La Jolla in November of 2021. The four-story, 74,000-sf facility is a dynamic hub for experiential learning and discovery that collocates entrepreneurial activities previously dispersed across campus. Sited adjacent to a new light rail station and an outdoor amphitheater, the multidisciplinary structure includes four distinct spaces.

The Ohio State University broke ground in November of 2021 on the $48.4 million Energy Advancement and Innovation Center in Columbus. Designed by Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects and Moody Nolan, the 66,000-sf facility will enable faculty members, students, entrepreneurs, and industry affiliates to pioneer new renewable energy technologies, smart energy systems, and green mobility solutions.

AstraZeneca opened The Discovery Centre in November of 2021 in the United Kingdom. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron and BDP, the £1 billion R&D facility can accommodate over 2,200 investigators engaged in the creation of next-generation therapeutics and innovative precision medicines. Integrating advanced robotic and AI-driven technologies, the 580,000-sf project is strategically sited on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus to promote collaboration and convergence with neighboring institutions and industry partners.