Interdisciplinary Research

The University of Wisconsin-Madison broke ground on the Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center in April of 2025. Designed by SmithGroup, Continuum Architects + Planners, and Ring & DuChateau, the $420 million facility will enable the College of Engineering to accommodate 1,000 additional students each year to address growing demand. Standing seven stories above grade with one basement level, the 395,000-gsf structure will offer 211,000 asf of collaborative teaching and research space.

McGill University is nearing the end of a 10-year project to construct 500,000 sf of research and teaching space on the site of a century-old hospital. The heritage wings of the former hospital will be rehabilitated, and state-of-the-art research and teaching functions will be accommodated in the new construction that is carefully inserted into the site. Renovated space totals 150,000 sf, with 380,000 sf of new construction. Construction is under way, and the building is set for completion in 2028, at a cost of $870 million (Canadian).

George Mason University opened the $107 million Life Sciences and Engineering Building in Manassas in March of 2025. Located on the SciTech campus, the 132,000-sf facility leverages a central location in Virginia’s tech corridor to drive advances in research and education. The four-story structure houses growing programs within the colleges of Engineering and Computing, Science, Education and Human Development, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Roche announced the launch of the Roche Genentech Innovation Center in March of 2025 on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. With an initial lease of 30,000 sf of lab space in the first phase of construction, Roche intends to expand their R&D presence to eventually accommodate 500 employees. The initiative will bring together cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism experts with data science and AI specialists to accelerate innovation in drug discovery and development.

Though universities may update master plans every five or 10 years, many find planning works best when it is continual and flexible to accommodate program and leadership changes. A number of projects at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort Worth demonstrate the need to assess existing spaces and develop plans for growth and flexibility, as well as the benefits of building long-term relationships with architects and other vendors.

Cleveland Clinic is constructing the $1.1 billion Neurological Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. The 1.2 million-sf translational research facility will consolidate 15 separate centers to catalyze interdisciplinary synergies and improve patient outcomes. Spanning fourteen stories, the state-of-the-art hospital will offer a comprehensive array of services such as neuro-simulation training, infusion therapy, neurodiagnostics, brain mapping suites, imaging, and digitized patient evaluations.

Pennsylvania Western University is constructing a 63,500-sf science building to advance education and research in the natural sciences. Located on the PennWest California campus, the $39 million facility was designed by DRAW Collective to foster experiential learning and put science on display. Driving interdisciplinary collaboration, the three-story structure will house 17 labs and 19 science support areas tailored for disciplines including biology, physics, chemistry, microbiology, ecology, and anatomy and physiology.

An evolution of the equipment and technology researchers need is transforming ordinary labs into facilities that deserve to be called next-generation or future-ready. Significant changes in space utilization and lab planning and design are driven by increased automation and robotics, the incorporation of manufacturing, enhanced information technology with an emphasis on data collection, ever-evolving technologies, developer core/shell fit-outs, hybrid work patterns, and different approaches to project delivery and construction. 

Imperial College London is planning to construct the pioneering Fleming Centre to accelerate groundbreaking research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Envisioned as a global beacon for healthcare change, the highly flexible building will bring leading investigators, clinicians, and behavioral experts together with pharmaceutical partners and domestic and international policymakers.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore opened a 250,000-sf innovation center in January of 2024 to drive biomedical advances and accelerate the discovery of new health solutions. Developed and operated by Wexford Science + Technology, 4MLK serves as the gateway to the UM BioPark and will offer leasable space for life science and technology companies.

The University of Kansas is planning to begin construction in summer of 2026 on the Makers' KUbe in the heart of its Lawrence campus. The School of Architecture & Design will occupy the $120 million facility and collaborated on its design with Bjarke Ingels Group, BNIM, and StructureCraft. Showcasing timber tectonics, traditional joinery, and sustainable materials, the 50,000-sf facility will act as a living curriculum with exposed structural and MEP systems.

The University of South Carolina is planning to begin construction in 2025 on the School of Medicine Columbia. Serving as the centerpiece of a $300 million campus, the 300,000-sf facility will feature active learning classrooms, extensive medical simulation spaces, interdisciplinary laboratories, and a health science library. An adjoining biomedical research wing will advance the creation of novel therapies and treatments, with a central landscaped courtyard offering settings for informal exchange.

The University of Pennsylvania opened the $173 million Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science & Technology in December of 2024 in Philadelphia. Designed by Behnisch Architekten, the seven-story building accommodates the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), an undergraduate dual-degree initiative run jointly by the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Missouri University of Science and Technology is planning to construct the Bioplex, a $130 million facility for advanced research and education in life sciences, biomedicine, and biomedical engineering. ZGF Architects is partnering with Christner Architects to design the 128,000-gsf structure, which represents the final phase of the Havener Arrival Complex. The multidisciplinary building will provide lab environments for 24 research teams, including wet bench labs and associated support spaces, as well as an ABSL-2 vivarium.

Case Western Reserve University celebrated the official groundbreaking of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB) in October of 2024 in Cleveland. Designed by HGA in partnership with local firm DVA Architecture, the 189,000-sf facility will collocate more than 60 principal investigators from the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences. The $300 million structure will offer both wet and dry labs, a shared core lab, and advanced technology platforms.