Energy Use Reduction

The University of British Columbia is planning to construct the CAD$136 million School of Biomedical Engineering Building on the Point Grey campus in Vancouver. The 151,305-gsf facility will accommodate teaching and research labs, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, and offices. Featuring innovative learning venues for undergraduate and graduate programs, the building will provide classrooms, a 250-seat lecture hall, and a central atrium for informal learning and interaction.

Caltech dedicated the $210 million Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Neuroscience Research Building in January of 2021 in Pasadena. Designed by SmithGroup to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the 150,000-sf facility provides wet, dry, and computational research labs for the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering. Standing three stories above grade with two basement levels, the structure includes teaching labs, a neurotechnology lab, a 150-seat lecture hall, conference rooms, and offices for investigators and staff.

The University of Miami is constructing the $60 million Frost Institute of Chemical and Molecular Science in Coral Gables, Fla. Designed by Harvard Jolly Architecture, the five-story, 94,000-sf facility will include a central gathering area, seminar rooms, a microscopy imaging suite, innovation labs, and investigator offices. The highly flexible structure will feature open wet lab environments with moveable benches and fixtures. Overhead service carriers will supply power and gas to the lab benches for optimal reconfigurability.

Universal Robots is partnering with Mobile Industrial Robots to create a research and development campus in Odense, Denmark. Designed by 3XN to promote knowledge exchange and enhance employee wellbeing, the 215,000-sf Cobot Hub will offer flexible modules that can be tailored to provide the two companies with specialized labs, workshops, maker spaces, and open office environments.

Western Colorado University opened the Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering in Gunnison in January of 2021. Designed by Farnsworth Group with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 75,000-sf building provides experiential learning classrooms, laboratories, instrumentation suites, lecture halls, collaboration spaces, faculty offices, and a central gallery with a canted glass curtainwall.

Silverstein Properties & Cantor Fitzgerald are partnering with University Place Associates to create a biomedical innovation center in Philadelphia. Providing leading-edge lab and office facilities, 3.0 University Place is pre-certified as LEED Platinum v4 BD+C for core and shell, and will also target WELL Core v2 Platinum certification.

Manchester Metropolitan University began construction in January of 2021 on the Science and Engineering Building in the United Kingdom. Designed by BDP, the seven-story, 160,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, instructional venues, a 200-seat super lab, academic offices, collaboration spaces, self-directed learning areas, and a central atrium.

BioMed Realty is creating a 482,000-sf life sciences hub in Boston's Seaport District. Previously serving as the corporate headquarters of John Hancock, the building was acquired by BioMed Realty in late 2020. Featuring robust mechanical and electrical systems, the existing structure has attained LEED Platinum sustainable design certification and includes a variety of collaborative meeting areas. The facility will be renovated to provide sophisticated lab and office environments for biomedical companies. Occupancy is expected in the second half of 2022. 

The Ohio State University broke ground in December of 2020 on the $27 million Controlled Environment Food Production Research Complex in Columbus. Designed by Erdy-McHenry Architecture, the 49,050-sf project will provide sophisticated research and cultivation facilities for the development of advanced food production technologies.

Western Washington University is planning to construct the $68 million Kaiser Borsari Hall in Bellingham. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 40,000-sf structure will accommodate the school's growing programs in computer science and electrical engineering. The collaborative four-story building will provide experiential learning venues, teaching and research labs, classrooms, offices, breakout areas, a multicultural student lounge, a commons, and a mechanical basement.

The University of South Florida broke ground in December of 2020 on the $54 million Judy Genshaft Honors College in Tampa. Designed by Morphosis to foster interdisciplinary exchange, the five-story, 85,000-sf structure will offer interwoven facilities including a central atrium, learning lofts, classrooms, labs, study areas, offices, a café, and a music and computer lab. On the ground floor, the collaborative structure will feature a central atrium with adjoining flexible spaces that can be connected to accommodate large events.

The University of Virginia is planning to construct the School of Data Science in Charlottesville. Designed by Hopkins Architects and VMDO, the four-story, 61,000-sf facility will feature four adaptive classrooms with integrated technologies to enhance learning and interaction. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the highly transparent structure will include a double-height venue for lectures and events, a collaborative central staircase, and faculty offices with operable windows for improved ventilation.

The University of California, Santa Barbara opened the $56 million Henley Hall in December of 2020. Housing the Institute for Energy Efficiency, the three-story, 50,280-gsf (29,292-asf) structure provides 17 research labs with a combination of wet and dry modalities, a 124-seat lecture hall, conference rooms, collaborative breakout areas, and faculty and administrative offices.

Stanford University dedicated the $210 million Biomedical Innovation Building in November of 2020 in Palo Alto, Calif. Designed by ZGF Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 190,439-gsf facility strategically collocates investigators with expertise in cardiovascular medicine, pediatrics, orthopaedics, immunotherapy, personalized genomics, otolaryngology, and asthma and allergy.

Matrix Innovation Center broke ground in December of 2020 on the Matrix 1 lab and office complex in Amsterdam. Designed by MVRDV to attain BREEAM Excellent certification, the six-story, 140,000-sf project will utilize demountable construction techniques so that the steel supports and concrete floors can be disassembled at the end of the structure's lifespan, enabling 89 percent of the materials to be reused.