Sustainability

The University of St. Thomas is constructing the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena to showcase its recent transition to Division I athletics. Designed by Crawford Architects in association with Ryan A&E, the $175 million development will bring hockey onto the Saint Paul campus for the first time. As well as housing the school's basketball programs, the multipurpose facility will feature a 5,000-seat arena that can accommodate commencement ceremonies, academic convocations, conferences, and career fairs.

Pennsylvania State University celebrated the opening of the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building (ECoRE) in University Park in September of 2024. Located on the West Campus, the 290,000-gsf structure features advanced research and teaching labs for programs in aerospace engineering, architectural engineering, acoustics, and civil and environmental engineering. Payette designed the $228 million facility with research programs grouped by theme to enhance interaction and increase the utilization of shared spaces. 

The University of Salford will begin construction in October of 2024 on a new building for the School of Health and Society in the United Kingdom. Designed by AHR Architects, the 60,000-sf facility will optimize medical outcomes in the greater Manchester region by accelerating the recruitment, education, and training of the next generation of caregivers. The state-of-the-art instructional hub will offer three floors of teaching and clinical space for courses ranging from occupational therapy to sports science.

Scripps Research Institute opened the Chi-Huey Wong Laboratories for Biomedical Research in August of 2024. Creating a new gateway to the La Jolla campus, the 83,000-sf structure provides leading-edge environments for drug discovery and development. DGA was the architect for the collaborative facility, which features interconnected open laboratories and a double-height lobby.

The University of Tennessee opened the $93 million Agriculture and Natural Resources Building in Knoxville in August of 2024. The four-story, 161,862-gsf facility provides the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources with both interdisciplinary and specialized lab environments for teaching, research, and public service. Designed by Barber McMurry Architects and Lord Aeck Sargent, the four-story development includes 25 labs, 11 flexible classrooms, lecture halls, and offices.

The University of Mississippi completed construction in August of 2024 on the $175 million Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Oxford. The 202,000-sf facility provides student-centered learning environments for STEM programs in biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and computer science. Featuring 50 technology-enabled active learning (TEAL) classrooms, the building offers teaching labs, lecture halls, a 3D visualization suite, a tutoring center, and a soaring central atrium.

The University of California, San Diego will begin construction on the Multidisciplinary Life Sciences Building in fall of 2024. Designed by Flad Architects, the 200,000-sf project will be the first campus development that collocates health science research with biological science research and teaching. The multiuse facility advances the university's goal of fostering unprecedented inter-unit partnerships.

The U.S. Department of Energy dedicated the $75 million Grid Storage Launchpad in August of 2024 at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Accelerating the development of novel decarbonization solutions, the 85,000-sf facility provides 30 energy research labs, multiple conference rooms, and open office areas with flexible workstations for 100 staff members. 

Virginia Tech opened the $70 million Undergraduate Science Laboratory Building in Blacksburg in August of 2024. ZGF Architects designed the flexible and adaptable facility to address the current and future needs of the College of Science, the College of Engineering, the College of Natural Resources and Environment, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Offering 26 wet, dry, and specialty labs, the four-story, 102,746-gsf structure features a maker space with both wet and dry functionality called the Discovery Suite.

St. John's University will open the St. Vincent Health Sciences Center in September of 2024 on the Queens campus in New York. Designed by CannonDesign, the $106 million facility features state-of-the-art laboratories, active learning classrooms, and simulation suites to train the next generation of caregivers. The 70,000-sf building strategically collocates the School of Nursing with other allied health programs to promote interprofessional education, supported by flexible teaching venues where teams of students can work together.

Eli Lilly and Company opened the $700 million Lilly Seaport Innovation Center (LSC) in Boston in August of 2024. Developed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities and National Development, the 346,000-rsf facility offers Class A research environments for biomedical discovery. The 12-story structure also houses the first Lilly Gateway Labs on the East Coast to enable biotech start-ups to collaborate with Lilly scientists.

The University of Sheffield is planning to construct the £37 million Central Teaching Laboratory in the United Kingdom. Designed by Twelve Architects and BVN Architecture, the five-story, 85,000-sf facility will provide advanced instructional settings for the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health. Two super labs accommodating 300 students will leverage extensive glazing to put science on display, complemented by specialized venues for tissue culture, anatomy, and applications requiring a fume hood.

One United Properties began construction in August of 2024 on One Technology District, a semiconductor R&D center in Bucharest, Romania. Infineon Technologies will occupy the facility and has committed to a 15-year lease that represents a total contract value of $62.2 million. Positioned to become the largest semiconductor hub in southeast Europe, the innovation complex will offer a gross leasable area of 222,000 sf, including 32,000 sf of next-generation lab space. 

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.