The University of Minnesota opened a reimagined undergraduate chemistry education facility in October 2025 on its Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. Transforming the historic Fraser Hall, a 97-year-old law library, the $144.7 million project comprised the demolition of selected portions of the building, 30,730 gsf of renovation, and 91,350 sf of new construction. A mechanical penthouse was also created.
Academic STEM facilities need the flexibility to accommodate an expanding range of disciplines and pedagogical methods while equipped with an adaptable infrastructure responsive to occupancy shifts and technology advances. Today’s projects often span the complexity spectrum, from soft spaces and graduate student workstations outside the lab to a zero-point energy (ZPE) environment for quantum physics research or an engineering lab housing a wind tunnel. While the terms “flexibility” and “adaptability” are often used interchangeably to describe the requirements of a lab building, planners at Research Facilities Design (RFD) draw a clear distinction between the two. In their context, flexibility is what occurs below the ceiling, for example, movable casework that allows a lab to accommodate new equipment or new research opportunities. Adaptability refers to what happens above the ceiling, such as robust MEP systems, well-organized ductwork and piping racks, and spare capacity at the electrical panel to support new or expanded programs in the building.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is renovating and expanding the Reedy Creek Laboratory campus in Raleigh. The $65 million initiative will modernize critical facilities and optimize workflows to support the wide range of services and tests that protect the health, safety, and welfare of state residents. Designed by HH Architecture, the updated complex will transform essential community infrastructure and provide future capacity for evolving program needs.
Workplace occupancy planning used to be straightforward: People were assigned to an office, cubicle, or facility, and that is where they worked. Not so in the current hybrid work world. Traditional space and occupancy techniques are struggling to handle the complexity of today’s diverse facility use patterns. And increased pressure and regulations related to sustainability and energy usage only add to the challenge. However, AI is beginning to transform space and occupancy planning.
The University of Kansas opened the redeveloped David Booth Memorial Kansas Stadium in August of 2025, marking the completion of the first phase of the new Gateway District. Designed by HNTB and Multistudio as an inviting entrance to campus, the $448 million project elevates the fan experience with a restructured bowl layout offering improved sightlines and increased proximity to the field. Diverse premium seating options include ledge suites, loge boxes, and 2,300 club seats distributed across three social zones.
State-of-the-art labs are more efficient, cheaper, and more pleasant for the animals housed there than older designs. Despite all these advantages, most labs are decades out of date, say laboratory architect Jeff Zynda of Perkins&Will and laboratory veterinary consultant John J. Hasenau. The longtime collaborators point out that outdated labs are missing out on a broad range of improvements—from more efficient HVAC systems to a deeper understanding of light spectrums to better cage design—that are more comfortable for the animals, more useful for the scientists, and less expensive to operate.
BC Cancer broke ground in July of 2025 on the CAD 386 million ($281 million) Kamloops Cancer Center, which will be operated in partnership with Interior Health. Spanning five stories, the 226,042-sf facility will address a growing demand for high-quality, accessible care in the Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap region. An outpatient ambulatory clinic will offer ten examination rooms and two consultation rooms. A CT simulator will enable radiation therapy planning, accompanied by three linear accelerators (LINACs) in shielded treatment environments.
Hospitals and healthcare systems are stepping up to manage difficult choices. COVID funds have expired, staff are difficult to find and expensive to hire, and reimbursements aren’t keeping up with inflation. For those who are planning new and renovated healthcare spaces, the focus is on becoming more labor- and cost-efficient, benefiting from technology-driven ways of delivering healthcare while not losing the personal, human touch.
How did the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) convert two century-old industrial buildings -- a former Model T Ford assembly line and the manufacturing plant where the instant camera was invented for Polaroid -- into Class A research space? They accomplished it for the same cost as new construction but in less time, with a much smaller carbon footprint, and the blessing of their neighbors.
Cornell University is planning to expand Duffield Hall to create a vibrant home for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Ithaca, N.Y. Supported by a $100 million donation, the project will add 130,000 sf of new and renovated space. Upon completion, the 300,000-sf facility will feature an embedded, low-vibration research wing for quantum computing on a built-out basement level, complemented by three stories above grade.
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.
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is building the Technology Engineering Innovation Center, an approximately 73,000-sf facility that will anchor an evolving STEM corridor on the north part of campus. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the split-level structure will act as a central hub for departments within the College of Technology, Architecture, and Applied Engineering.
Barnard College is constructing the Roy & Diana Vagelos Science Center in New York to foster excellence in STEM education, innovation, and scholarship. Representing an investment of approximately $240 million, the expansion and renovation will transform the existing Altschul Hall into a modern hub for innovative teaching and research. The 169,000-sf structure will house all of Barnard’s bench sciences, including the departments of biology, chemistry, environmental science, neuroscience and behavior, and physics and astronomy.
The past few decades have brought myriad technological changes to our daily lives, and experts predict the pace of change will only increase—especially in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Much of the talk surrounding AI focuses on automating repetitive processes and analyzing data, which require additional computational power but not necessarily structural modifications. But emerging technologies, including AI and robotics, may require universities and companies to rethink their approach to designing and planning buildings and labs.
The fast-moving nature of biotechnology innovation means architects and designers for Regeneron have to plan for researchers’ requirements to change by the time new laboratories open on the Tarrytown, N.Y., campus. The campus is undergoing a $1.8 billion expansion, adding 900,000 sf of new laboratory and office space, along with additional parking, amenities, and infrastructure to support research and development.
