Sustainability

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.

The University of Virginia broke ground on the $350 million Paul and Diane Manning Institute for Biotechnology in December of 2023. Located in the Fontaine Research Park in Charlottesville, the 350,000-sf project will drive innovation in the fields of cellular therapy, gene therapy, nanotechnology, and drug delivery. By collocating state-of-the-art labs and core facilities with advanced manufacturing suites and clinical environments, the four-story building will accelerate the translation of medical discoveries into new solutions for patient care.

Aviva Investors began construction in December of 2023 on a three-story, 60,000-sf life sciences facility in Cambridge, U.K. Located in the Chesterford Research Park, the Sidney Sussex Building will provide 10 individual suites with fully fitted wet labs and open office areas that range from 2,226 sf to 8,409 sf. A dedicated floor of shared conference rooms will promote collaboration and exchange, complemented by inspiring outdoor settings for informal interaction.

Brown University is planning to construct the 300,000-sf Integrated Life Sciences Building (ILSB) in Providence’s Jewelry District. Designed by TenBerke and Ballinger, the seven-story facility will provide six levels of wet and dry laboratories for research programs in biology, medicine, neuroscience, bioengineering, and public health. A publicly accessible ground floor will offer a forum, a gallery, and a café, with a pedestrian thoroughfare for enhanced access to nearby buildings.

Piedmont Virginia Community College is constructing the $28 million Woodrow W. Bolick Advanced Technology + Student Success Center in Charlottesville. Designed by VMDO, the 46,537-sf facility will feature state-of-the-art labs and learning venues for programs in advanced manufacturing, robotics, forensics, and cybersecurity.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin construction in mid-2024 on the $160 million National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture (NCRRPA) in Lincoln, Neb. Designed by HDR, the transformative development will enable the Agricultural Research Service to explore new solutions for sustainable crop production, water management, and animal husbandry. The first phase will provide 12,000 sf of greenhouse space and 10,000 sf of headhouse space that will physically connect to the existing Greenhouse Innovation Center.

Boston University opened the $305 million Center for Computing & Data Sciences in early 2023 to create a dynamic new home for the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, and the Computer Science program. Designed by KPMB Architects, the 19-story, 345,000-sf structure comprises a four-story podium topped by 13 floors, with MEP systems located on additional basement and penthouse levels.

Carnegie Mellon University broke ground in December of 2023 on the $100 million Robotics Innovation Center in Pittsburgh. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the three-story, 150,000-sf facility will feature reconfigurable high-bay labs and flexible R&D venues that address robotic systems at different scales. Open wet labs will allow interdisciplinary teams to engage in group projects, supported by a range of specialized shops and instrumentation suites.

The $388 million Surat Diamond Bourse opened in December of 2023 to provide a vibrant corporate destination for Gujarat’s diamond industry. Surpassing the Pentagon in size, the 7.1 million-sf complex includes nine 15-story towers linked by a central spine. Approximately 4,700 modular offices that can also serve as cutting and polishing workshops will support the endeavors of over 65,000 diamond professionals.

Bowdoin College has opened a sustainably designed complex in Brunswick that includes the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies and Barry Mills Hall. Designed by HGA, the two structures represent the first commercially scaled mass timber buildings in the state of Maine. The $37 million project offers a total of 46,000 sf of teaching, research, and museum space.

Mayo Clinic opened the $120 million Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building in December of 2023 in Rochester, Minn. Designed by HDR, the 176,000-sf structure provides flexible, open labs for basic and translational research in oncology and neurology. Accommodating multidisciplinary teams of investigators, clinicians, and data analysts, the 11-story facility will accelerate the discovery of new therapies through the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.

The University of Minnesota is renovating and expanding the historic Fraser Hall to create a central destination for chemistry programs on the Twin Cities campus. Designed by VJAA and BWBR Architects, the $144.7 million Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories initiative involves the demolition of a portion of the existing building, a 95-year-old law library, and the removal of an addition built in 1954.

Arizona State University broke ground in December of 2023 on Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ISTB12). Located on the Polytechnic campus in Mesa, the $185 million project will provide the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering with a centralized home for the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks.

Cornell University is constructing the $54 million Atkinson Hall in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Lake Flato and SWBR Architects, the 104,000-gsf facility will meet the diverse needs of four unique programs, all of which are university-wide in scope. The multidisciplinary research building will house and support the growth of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Department of Computational Biology, the Center for Cancer Biology, and the Center for Immunology, including the Friedman Center for Nutrition and Inflammation.

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground in November of 2023 on the $136.8 million Undergraduate Academic Building. Designed by LMN Architects and TEF Design, the 78,000-sf project will offer more than 45,000 asf of modern learning space including 27 general assignment classrooms, informal study areas, and advising offices for College of Letters and Science. The technology-enabled facility will include flexible instructional venues of varying sizes to support a range of pedagogical styles.