Leading global infrastructure firm AECOM has set ambitious targets for reducing emissions to combat climate change. These targets were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in April of 2020. At the time of approval, AECOM was the first and only US-based company in the engineering and construction sector to have set approved targets.
The Human Technopole Foundation is planning to construct a 592,000-sf biomedical research campus in the MIND Milano Innovation District in Italy. Designed by Piuarch, the Human Technopole Campus will include a ten-story, 377,000-sf facility offering 177,000 sf of dedicated laboratory space. Comprising two flexible volumes connected by a full-height atrium, the $102 million building will include advanced instrumentation suites, 800 investigator workstations, meeting rooms, event venues, and space for several research centers.
Virginia Tech is planning to break ground in fall of 2021 on the first academic building on its Innovation Campus in Alexandria. Designed by SmithGroup, the 300,000-gsf facility will offer experiential learning environments, maker spaces, flexible multipurpose venues, and research and testing labs for the school's graduate programs in computer science and engineering. The sustainably designed structure will feature a façade with integrated photovoltaic panels, a rooftop solar array, and geothermal and sewage water energy exchange technologies.
Ohio University is constructing the $65 million Heritage Hall in Athens. Designed by Perkins+Will and DesignGroup, the three-story, 120,000-sf building will provide the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (HCOM) with flexible environments for team-based learning to support the school's groundbreaking Pathways to Health and Wellness curriculum.
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has assembled a task force to address the role of the built environment in reducing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infections. Aiming to define the critical role that buildings, organizations, and communities play in infectious disease management, the work will take a broad approach in considering both new and recurring agents that can affect large populations.
Pacific Northwest National Lab began construction in March of 2020 on a $90 million energy sciences research building in Richland, Wash. Designed by Kirksey Architecture, the collaborative 140,000-sf facility will enable academic, industry, and government investigators to create new energy and transportation technologies. Supporting fundamental research in chemistry, materials science, and computing, the building will include advanced instrumentation suites housing next-generation imaging and microscopy devices.
Siemens is teaming up with industry experts from EPLAN, WSCAD, and UL for the Control Panel Online Symposium on April 29, 2019. Industry experts will delve into the latest control panel standards, provide strategies for more efficient control panel designs, and offer tools for the improvement of engineering efficiency. Attendees can join online seminars, visit the virtual fair booths, and chat live with the industry experts.
For more information, visit Siemens.
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority opened the 47,360-sf Research and Development Centre in March of 2020. Located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the United Arab Emirates, the four-story facility offers laboratories for the development of leading-edge technologies for solar power, smart grid integration, energy efficiency, and water management systems. Accelerating the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the center will enable the creation of innovative 3D printing and additive manufacturing modalities.
The University of Illinois at Chicago will begin construction in spring of 2021 on the $118 million Computer Design Research and Learning Center. Designed by Booth Hansen and LMN Architects, the 125,000-sf facility will provide flexible classrooms, lecture halls, dry research labs, design studios, faculty and staff offices, and collaboration areas.
Arizona State University broke ground on the $118 million ASU Downtown Phoenix Residence Hall and Entrepreneurial Center in March of 2020. Designed by Studio Ma, the 16-story, 248,000-sf structure will include a three-story innovation hub providing studios, maker spaces, workshops, classrooms, offices, and event venues for the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts. The building will also offer residential accommodation for up to 530 students and visiting professionals on the remaining 13 floors.
Oregon Health & Science University is constructing the $50 million Elks Children's Eye Clinic Building in Portland. Designed by NBBJ, the freestanding 64,000-sf building will be physically connected to the existing Casey Eye Institute by a striking glass sky bridge. The five-story structure will accommodate translational research labs, an 11,500-sf pediatric eye clinic, and space for clinical trials.
The University of Newcastle began construction in February of 2020 on a AUD$25 million facility for the School of Creative Industries in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Designed by EJE Architecture, the four-story building will provide a maker space, research labs, studios, a co-working environment, seminar and conference rooms, flexible and informal learning spaces, and a café. Located in the AUD$500 millon Honeysuckle City Campus Development, the project will also house the region's Integrated Innovation Network Hub.
East Carolina University is constructing the $90 million Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building in Greenville, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the 141,500-sf facility will provide wet bench and computational labs for programs in biotechnology, biophysics, biofuels, environmental engineering, imaging, and sensor development. Enabling students to engage in collaborative research with academic and industry partners, the four-story structure will include classrooms, lecture halls, administrative offices, core labs, and support spaces.
Lehigh University will break ground in April of 2021 on a 74,000-sf facility for the College of Business in Bethlehem, Pa. Featuring technology-rich classrooms for new programs in financial technologies, the three-story, four-floor structure will house the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research, the Rauch Media and Communications Lab, a behavioral lab, a data analytics lab, and a business innovation and incubation center. The building will be sited adjacent to the existing Rauch Business Center, which will also be expanded and renovated.
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is building the CAD$400 million Patient Support Centre in Toronto. Designed by B+H Architects, the 22-story, 525,616-sf project will provide education, training, and administrative facilities. Two additional sub-grade floors will house a simulation center with advanced virtual reality technologies for the SickKids Learning Institute.
