Modernization

JLL’s Global Future of Work survey has explored the evolving world of corporate real estate since 2011. This year, it analyzes the key priorities, challenges, and strategies of more than 2,300 professionals and decision-makers from around the wold. Recent insights show that companies are adopting a cautiously positive outlook in this increasingly dynamic and ambiguous environment. With plans to increase and rebalance organizational headcount in the coming years, many are ready to invest in their real estate as they expect to increase their budget and footprint.

The decreasing amount of time researchers spend in their labs is changing research facility design and space allocation, with an increased need for lab support space, a more significant reliance on core facilities, the creation of additional write-up and data analysis environments, and the purposeful inclusion of collaboration spaces.

The new Library and Learning Center at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has transformed the school’s former library from a quiet place filled primarily with stacks of books into a welcoming and dynamic environment focused on providing students access to the resources needed to succeed academically. In addition to the library, the renovated facility includes the learning lab, which brings together tutoring support previously housed in three different locations, a student academic computing center, nine group study rooms, two academic classrooms, and a One-Button studio for video production. The number of computers available for student use throughout the entire facility has increased from 30 to 300, an important advantage for the many CCP students who do not own personal computers.   

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is partnering with Grumman|Butkus Associates on a retrocommissioning initiative that is expected to deliver significant energy savings. Spanning nearly 1.7 million sf, the project includes the evaluation of seven existing buildings to identify deficiencies and craft innovative solutions.

UCSF Health is planning to construct a $1.49 billion hospital in Oakland that will enable the delivery of world-class pediatric care for decades to come. Designed by SmithGroup to optimize therapeutic outcomes, the seven-story, 277,500-sf facility will be illuminated by natural light, with numerous outdoor areas that are accessible to patients, families and staff. Strategic programming will allow sophisticated instrumentation to be accessed when needed without impeding clinical processes.

The University of New Hampshire completed the renovation and expansion of Spaulding Hall in Durham in late July of 2024. Ellenzweig designed the $89 million project to provide the Department of Biological Sciences with state-of-the-art research labs, core facilities, instructional settings, and collaborative learning venues. Slated to achieve LEED certification, the sustainable structure collocates programs in biochemistry, neuroscience, ecology, cell culture, medical laboratory science, and anatomy and physiology.

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) has completed three construction projects on its Burlington campus that will provide dynamic modalities for the delivery of world-class care. Margulies Perruzzi performed architectural services for all three developments at the tertiary academic medical center, complementing the numerous LHMC facilities that the firm has worked on in the past. Seamlessly integrating advanced technology with human-centric design, these capital initiatives are defining an environment engineered for optimal therapeutic impact.

The University of California has selected Flad Architects as executive architect for the UCLA Research Park Master Plan Study, a roadmap for the transformation of the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall in Los Angeles into a nexus for discovery and innovation. Leasable lab and office environments will enable industry, academic, and government partners to benefit from collocation with two multidisciplinary research centers.

Colorado State University broke ground in May of 2024 on a $230 million redevelopment of the Veterinary Health and Education Complex (VEHC) in Fort Collins. Designed by Clark & Enersen, the expansion and renovation project will feature a 213,000-sf replacement teaching hospital that will offer unique opportunities for immersive education. The sustainable structure will feature two 80-seat active learning classrooms with interactive workstations, as well as eight exam rooms equipped with advanced simulation technologies.

UNC Charlotte has plotted a course for the future that prepares the campus for an 11% enrollment increase overall, with a 13% increase in STEM disciplines. The priority is student success, a UNC systemwide performance-based metric for a new funding model that ties funding to student success and graduation rates rather than just enrollment numbers. The goal is for more students to graduate on time with less debt. The strategy to achieve that goal includes creating the kinds of spaces that students need and want in order to succeed, with more opportunities for active, hands-on learning.

The Pennsylvania State University’s four-story Animal, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences (AVBS) Building replaced a 1960s building with updated space for research, offices, and instruction. Situated on Penn State’s University Park campus, the $98.5 million, 105,000-sf facility brings two College of Agricultural Sciences departments under one roof for easier interaction among Animal Science and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences researchers who conduct studies on nutrition, reproduction, and infectious diseases. 

Post-pandemic employees expect their workplaces to offer amenities similar to those they grew accustomed to while working from home: access to outdoor spaces, the opportunity to choose between working from home and in the office, areas for individual and team work, and the ability to focus on their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing with amenities such as a gym, quiet lounges with technological support for laptops, and nearby places to socialize.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center began construction in June of 2024 on the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center in Sharonville, Ohio. The $60 million project will transform an existing structure into a catalyst for innovative clinical trials. Designed by BHDP Architecture, the 111,000-sf facility will advance the development, testing, and manufacture of new medicines and biological therapies.

The sudden pivot to virtual learning during the COVID pandemic has changed higher education for the foreseeable future. Interviews with more than 250 students, professors, and space planners at more than 100 campuses around the world reveal that 18- to 24-year-old students missed being on campus and are glad to be back. But they have changed; the institutions have changed; and campuses don’t quite fit anyone’s needs anymore. Learn the 10 insights from these interviews that can help shape the future of your campus design.

The University of Connecticut has spent 10 years and $1.5 billion expanding and modernizing its science, technology, engineering, and math offerings, and increasing the number of STEM students by 4,000. The initiative, called Next Generation Connecticut (NextGenCT), included the construction of a new 198,000-sf facility and the renovation and expansion of the largest STEM building on the main campus in Storrs. The approach to both projects was to focus first on modernizing the way those subjects are taught and then on designing the space itself.