Sustainability

Berry College will break ground in March of 2024 on the $33.4 million Morgan-Bailey Hall in Mount Berry, Ga. The three-story, 55,000-sf facility will feature sophisticated environments for courses in nursing and kinesiology, as well as supporting a new graduate-level program for physician associates. Offering 36,000 sf of academic space, the interactive structure will include large collaboration areas, as well as rooms where smaller groups can engage in shared exploration.

Cal Poly Humboldt is planning to construct the $100 million Engineering & Technology Building in Arcata, Calif. Designed by AC Martin to promote experiential learning, the 74,000-sf facility will feature multipurpose labs and classrooms equipped with adaptable room technologies for optimal programmatic flexibility. The three-story structure will offer a range of research venues, collaboration spaces, and gathering areas, as well as an interdisciplinary maker space that opens onto an outdoor fabrication zone.

Breakthrough Properties broke ground in February of 2024 on a 175,000-sf life sciences center in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Designed by Henning Larsen and Feilden+Mawson, the five-story building will offer modern, flexible laboratories with integrated write-up areas. Vitrum by Breakthrough will also provide world-class offices, meeting rooms, collaboration spaces, and amenities. On the ground floor, a spacious lobby will open onto a landscaped square, complemented by outdoor terraces on the upper levels.

The University of Portland opened the $40 Million Shiley-Marcos Center for Design & Innovation in January of 2024. Designed by Opsis Architecture with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 43,800-sf building features collaborative environments for hands-on learning and discovery. The cross-disciplinary structure provides maker spaces, ideation studios, prototyping and fabrication suites, a propulsion and combustion lab, and dedicated shops for working with metal, wood, and electronics.

Smith College will break ground in March of 2024 on the $32 million Kathleen McCartney Hall in Northampton, Mass. Designed by TenBerke, the sustainably designed facility will house the Lazarus Center for Career Development and the Wurtele Center for Leadership in a dynamic hub where students can explore future possibilities and acquire new skills. The 15,000-sf building will provide eight open work areas, interview rooms, collaboration spaces, advising offices, and areas for recruiting events and seminars.

The University of Toronto is building the Academic Wood Tower to provide additional program space for the Rotman School of Management, the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, and the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. Designed by Patkau Architects and MJMA, the 14-story structure is sited atop a robust foundation and first floor that was created during the construction of the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) began construction in January of 2024 on the Research & Discovery Centre in Toronto. Designed by TreanorHL and KPMB Architects, the 389,341-sf facility will catalyze the translation of medical breakthroughs into new solutions for patient care. This centralized home for CAMH’s research enterprise will feature open lab and office environments, space for clinical trials, and communal settings illuminated by natural light.

Michigan State University’s first new instructional building in 50 years incorporates the disparate elements of a long-mothballed power plant, modular infrastructure, and mass timber. The facility on the East Lansing campus consolidates MSU’s large core undergraduate STEM courses under one roof, with both wet and dry teaching labs, classrooms, and student support space.

Washington University in St. Louis opened the $616 million Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building in January of 2024. Designed by Perkins&Will and CannonDesign, the 608,825-sf facility provides interactive lab neighborhoods where up to 120 teams can engage in collaborative discovery. An 11-story, 584,050-sf research tower is capable of accommodating up to 1,000 investigators from the departments of neurology, neuroscience, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and anesthesiology.

Global pharmaceutical firm XBiotech will break ground in early 2024 on an expansion of its Austin campus. Designed by MOD Architecture, the 46,000-sf R&D center will catalyze the discovery and development of innovative biomedical therapies, as well as accelerating the commercialization of the company’s Natrunix rheumatology treatment. Wet laboratories for infectious disease research will foster the creation of new vaccines and medications to address emerging health challenges.  

Utah Tech University is constructing the $70.5 million General Classroom Building in St. George to provide next-generation learning environments for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Designed by Method Studio, the 120,091-sf facility will accommodate programs in psychology, applied sociology, criminal justice, English, philosophy, history, political science, and communication and media studies. This vibrant academic hub will offer 53 instructional venues including lecture halls, classrooms, and labs, as well as 26 student collaboration spaces.

AstraZeneca is partnering with Boston Properties to create a 570,000-sf R&D center in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. Housing approximately 1,850 employees, the 16-story building will offer world-class research environments for the creation of advanced biomedical therapies and vaccines. This nexus of innovation and discovery will feature flexible open laboratories arranged in neighborhoods with shared instrumentation suites and collaboration spaces.

Trammell Crow Company is developing Science Square in Atlanta to provide Georgia Tech with state-of-the-art facilities for learning, research, and innovation. Ground was broken in September of 2023 on the third phase of construction at the site, a 416,500-sf complex with two towers linked by a shared circulation core. Envisioned as a vertical quad, this dynamic social zone will offer myriad collaboration venues with a large gathering area for presentations and events.

The University of California, Riverside is constructing a vibrant new home for the School of Business. Created by the design-build team of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners and McCarthy Building Companies, the $87 million facility will centralize academic activities currently dispersed across campus while accommodating significant programmatic growth.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln opened the $115 million Kiewit Hall in January of 2024. Designed by Clark & Enersen and Ballinger, the 181,500-gsf facility provides leading-edge environments for undergraduate education programs in engineering and construction management. The Garage, a 20,300-sf maker space, includes a high bay space, 3D printers, laser cutters, a CNC machine, a paint booth, and shops for working with wood, metal, and electrical components.