Sanofi opened its new U.S. headquarters in May of 2025 at M Station West in Morristown, New Jersey. Developed by SJP Properties and Scotto Properties, the seven-story, 260,000-sf facility was designed by Gensler to collocate approximately 2,000 employees with leadership roles in business operations, finance, R&D, human resources, technology, general medicines, specialty care, vaccines, and manufacturing and supply.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is constructing a $1.9 billion inpatient tower in Columbus. Designed by HDR, the 26-story building will integrate exceptional environments for patient care with leading-edge facilities for research, medical education, and training. The 1.9 million-sf development will provide 820 private rooms equipped with sophisticated telehealth technologies and entertainment systems, with ample space for visiting family members.
Spelman College opened the Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation & the Arts in April of 2025 in Atlanta. Studio Gang and Goode Van Slyke Architecture designed the $96 million project to advance STEM education and drive collaborative discovery at the intersection of technological development and creative expression. Representing the college's first new academic building in nearly 25 years, the 82,500-sf facility is strategically sited on the periphery of campus to foster engagement with a growing arts district.
Pennsylvania State University opened the $128 million Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building in May of 2025. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 144,350-sf project enables a forward-thinking model of social science teaching, research, and outreach that unites previously dispersed disciplines.
The University of Cambridge opened the Ray Dolby Centre in May of 2025 in the United Kingdom. This purpose-built headquarters for the Department of Physics, also known as the Cavendish Laboratory, will serve as a national research hub and houses the Collaborative R&D Environment (CORDE), a new facility for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Pepperdine University is constructing the Mountain at Mullin Park, a vibrant athletics complex in Malibu, Calif. This dynamic community destination will elevate the student experience with premier fitness and wellness resources to enrich the academic journey and beyond. Designed by Gruen Associates and Perkins&Will, the project is situated on a plateau in the heart of campus residential life and represents an investment of approximately $250 million.
Old Dominion University broke ground in April of 2025 on the Biological Sciences Building in Norfolk, Va. Representing the largest capital construction project in the institution's history, the $184 million development will enable students and faculty to explore a wide range of biomedical and ecological fields. Ballinger and VMDO Architects designed the 162,586-sf structure, which will provide flexible research labs for up to 30 investigators, teaching labs, core facilities, classrooms, and a 120-seat lecture hall.
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.
AstraZeneca opened a $300 million cell therapy facility in May of 2025 in Rockville, Md. Developed by Alexandria Real Estate Equites, the 84,264-rsf building features specialized environments for the production of chimeric antigen receptor therapies (CAR-T) and T-cell receptor therapies (TCR-T). Next-generation biomanufacturing suites will leverage advanced process controls to create life-saving personalized medicine treatments, spanning every step from culturing and formulation to testing.
Purdue University is constructing the $160 million Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building in West Lafayette, Ind. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross and BSA LifeStructures, the 185,400-gsf facility will catalyze interprofessional synergies by collocating the School of Nursing and the Department of Pharmacy Practice in one dynamic center. This innovative hub for health science excellence will support a contemporary curriculum that equips future nurses and pharmacists with the essential competencies to deliver optimal patient care.
Cornell University celebrated the opening of Atkinson Hall in April of 2025 in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Lake|Flato and SWBR as a nexus for impact-driven research across disciplinary boundaries, the $54 million facility addresses the diverse needs of four unique programs, all of which are university-wide in scope.
RAJ Sports broke ground in May of 2025 on a dual-sport performance center for professional women's soccer and basketball in Hillsboro, Ore. Designed by Populous, the $150 million project will create a collaborative setting with premium wellness amenities for the Portland Thorns Football Club and a new WNBA team. Uniquely tailored to the needs of female athletes, the complex will feature an elite training core that integrates leading-edge strength and conditioning modalities with sports science, sports medicine, and advanced recovery therapies.
The University of California, Davis celebrated the opening of a $1.1 billion destination for collaborative discovery in May of 2025 in Sacramento. Spanning 767,000 sf, the first phase of Aggie Square was designed by ZGF Architects as the flagship for a new model of innovation district that strategically collocates academic, industry, and community partners not only in the same building, but in many cases on the same floor.
Iowa State University dedicated the Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building in May of 2025 in Ames. The four-story, 80,660-gsf facility provides a dynamic new home for the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering's teaching, research, and administrative activities. The $70 million project features technically enhanced environments where students can gain the specialized knowledge to design tomorrow’s innovative, safe, and nimble production processes across all industry sectors.
As institutions aim to reduce both operational and embodied carbon emissions, laboratory designers can pursue this goal by specifying low-carbon materials and implementing new energy solutions during design and construction, as well as considering the building’s ongoing maintenance. Operational carbon is the carbon that is emitted to run the building over its lifetime. Embodied carbon is the carbon that is emitted in the extraction, manufacturing, and transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of materials used during the construction of the building.
