Interdisciplinary Research

North Carolina State University is constructing the $180 million Integrative Sciences Building in Raleigh. Designed by ZGF Architects and Moseley Architects, the 164,947-sf facility will provide leading-edge environments for programs in chemistry, biochemistry, and the biological sciences. The collaborative five-story structure will offer two floors of teaching labs, as well as an advanced research floor integrating physical and life sciences in a way not possible anywhere else on campus.

Construction began in May of 2024 on Heathcock Hall, a new 81,700-gsf interdisciplinary research and education building for UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry. Accommodating programs in synthetic chemistry, physical chemistry, and chemical and biomolecular engineering, the structure will house six stories of research labs, support space, offices, and collaboration venues for investigators, faculty, and students. Heathcock Hall will be connected to two adjacent buildings—Latimer and Lewis halls—which also house chemistry labs.

Michigan State University (MSU) and Henry Ford Health have joined forces to construct the $335 million Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Research Center, which will house 84 principal investigators and their research teams focused on cancer, neuroscience, infectious diseases, immunology, and public health. The first floor will accommodate a large core lab including an imaging suite. An entire floor will be dedicated to the Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute.

The University of Arizona opened the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine in Tucson in April of 2024. Designed by Line and Space, the 30,000-sf complex comprises three buildings linked by landscaped pathways. MIND provides collaborative environments for research, innovation, and administration, complemented by BODY, a wellness hub with a movement studio and a demonstration kitchen, and SPIRIT, a serene space for mindfulness, meditation, and contemplation. 

The University of Montana is planning to construct a new home for the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation in Missoula. Designed by ZGF Architects and A&E Design, the 60,000-sf project will collocate facilities currently dispersed across campus in a vibrant hub for teaching and research. This living laboratory will serve as a teaching tool for sustainable forestry and wood construction spanning design, material application, and supply chain transparency. 

A study of three academic medical centers constructed in 2009, 2014, and 2020 reveals little change in the square footage of research spaces over time but a radical change in how the square footage is being used. The result is research space that is more efficient, flexible, adaptable, and functional, with a higher percentage of space dedicated to lab support. The metrics gathered in this study can help guide lab planners as they look to the future.

Michigan Tech opened the H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex in Houghton in March of 2024. HED designed the collaborative facility to drive academic excellence in health-related fields and accelerate the creation of human-centered technological innovations. Positioned in the heart of campus, the development collocates researchers in materials science, engineering, and neuroscience with faculty from kinesiology and integrative physiology.

Siemens AG opened an innovation complex in April of 2024 that will consolidate its corporate research activities in Germany. The 140,000-sf facility was created in partnership with Technical University of Munich and is strategically sited in the institution’s science park. Siemens Technology Center Garching supports 450 engineers working in collaboration with 150 academic investigators to advance industrial artificial intelligence and data analytics. State-of-the-art labs are complemented by modern workspaces, conference rooms, and training areas.

Carnegie Mellon University broke ground in early 2024 on the $252 million Richard King Mellon Hall of Sciences in Pittsburgh. Designed by ZGF Architects and R3A Architecture, the 338,900-sf complex will advance a new era of data-driven research, cross-disciplinary education, and creative expression. The transformative development will collocate the College of Science and the School of Computer Science with the Institute for Contemporary Art Pittsburgh in a prominent city intersection to foster connections with the local community.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology dedicated the new home of the Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing in Cambridge in April of 2024. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed Building 45 as a dynamic campus crossroads where diverse groups can connect and engage in shared discovery. The eight-story, 178,000-sf facility offers sophisticated research environments for the study of artificial intelligence and machine learning designed by laboratory planner RFD.

Case Western Reserve University will break ground in October of 2024 on the $300 million Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB) in Cleveland. Designed by HGA and Van Auken Akins Architects, the 189,000-sf facility will bring together investigators from the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences in a dynamic hub for innovation.

Florida Polytechnic University broke ground in April of 2024 on the Gary C. Wendt Engineering Building in Lakeland. Designed by DLR Group, the $15 million facility is envisioned as a vibrant social hub where innovation converges with education. The 40,000-sf facility will offer four multidisciplinary labs where students can engage in hands-on learning, making, and research. Featuring raw materials and exposed structural elements, the two-story development will include an atrium, a conference room, collaboration spaces, and an office suite.

The University of Miami Health System is constructing the $250 million Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building in Miami. Designed by HOK, the 244,000-sf structure will provide the Miller School of Medicine with flexible laboratories where multidisciplinary teams will discover new modalities for cancer treatment and prevention. The collaborative facility will leverage advanced instrumentation and the latest machine learning technologies to accelerate the translation of scientific breakthroughs into life-saving therapies.

Virginia Commonwealth University broke ground in April of 2024 on the $253 million CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation in Richmond. Designed by William Rawn Associates and Glavé & Holmes Architecture, the 213,000-sf facility will feature flexible classrooms, interdisciplinary performance venues, maker spaces, and an expansive atrium with an interactive staircase.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will break ground in summer of 2024 on a 68,000-sf research facility at the Forrestal campus in Plainsboro. Designed by SmithGroup, the Princeton Plasma Innovation Center will offer laboratories of various sizes where PPPL investigators will engage in shared discovery with academic and industry partners. Open meeting venues with whiteboards will encourage the spontaneous exchange of ideas, and collaboration spaces equipped with advanced technologies will support interaction with remote participants.