Sustainability

Virginia Tech opened the first building on its Innovation Campus in Alexandria in January of 2025. SmithGroup designed the 300,000-gsf facility to provide leading-edge environments for academic and research programs in computer science and engineering, as well as space for the Pamplin College of Business. Featuring specialized laboratories, a drone testing cage, and a two-story maker space, the 11-story development houses 14 classrooms, wellness venues for students and faculty, and the 3,000-sf Boeing Auditorium.

Arizona State University completed construction in January of 2025 on the $78 million University Gateway Building (UGB) in Tempe. Forging a vibrant link between the west campus entrance and the Mill Avenue district of downtown, the 128,000-sf structure integrates classroom, administrative, mixed-use, and retail space to meet educational needs while maximizing land use.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore opened a 250,000-sf innovation center in January of 2024 to drive biomedical advances and accelerate the discovery of new health solutions. Developed and operated by Wexford Science + Technology, 4MLK serves as the gateway to the UM BioPark and will offer leasable space for life science and technology companies.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa will break ground in early 2025 on a major capital improvement project to foster collaboration, engagement, and community on its Honolulu campus. The first phase comprises the construction of the five-story, 77,575-sf Interdisciplinary Learning Facility. On the first two floors, the academic building will feature 16 classrooms of various sizes available for all departments and programs.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is building a $105 million health sciences building for the School of Pharmacy and the School of Nursing. Designed by Lamar Johnson Collaborative and Christner Architects, the 176,000-sf facility will offer teaching and research labs, a vivarium, and modern classrooms and study areas. As well as administrative offices, the three-story structure will accommodate programs in pharmacogenomics, synthetic chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology.

The University of Salford is planning to construct a world-class facility for the Acoustics Department’s teaching, research, and commercial activities on the Peel Park campus in the United Kingdom. Furthering the institution's global reputation for acoustics and sound engineering, the purpose-built facility will feature environments that meet the highest technical specifications and measurement standards. Flexible instructional spaces will be complemented by sophisticated labs and research venues to support one of the largest acoustics research groups in the world.

The U.S. Department of Energy is constructing the Stable Isotope Production and Research Center (SIPRC) on the main campus of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Designed by Gresham Smith, the $325 million facility will address a critical need for stable isotopes in medicine, science, industry, and security. SIPRC will be the nation’s first domestic production facility for enriched stable isotopes since 1998 and will reduce current dependence on diminishing reserves and foreign suppliers. 

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is constructing a 513,000-sf addition to its existing hospital on the Marquam Hill campus in Portland. Designed by NBBJ to enhance the patient experience, the 14-story tower will offer 128 new inpatient beds to meet a pressing need for healthcare capacity in Oregon since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Inpatient Addition (IPA) will predominantly provide surgical oncology and cellular therapy services, and will connect to the main hospital and the Kohler Pavilion via three sky bridges.

The University of Kansas is planning to begin construction in summer of 2026 on the Makers' KUbe in the heart of its Lawrence campus. The School of Architecture & Design will occupy the $120 million facility and collaborated on its design with Bjarke Ingels Group, BNIM, and StructureCraft. Showcasing timber tectonics, traditional joinery, and sustainable materials, the 50,000-sf facility will act as a living curriculum with exposed structural and MEP systems.

New York City Football Club broke ground in December 2024 on Etihad Park in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens. Designed by HOK, the 24,851-seat development will be the first fully-electric stadium in the nation and the first professional soccer-specific stadium in New York. New York City FC will pay approximately $780 million in building costs for the privately financed project, which is slated for completion in early 2027.

The University of Waterloo is constructing the CAD110 million Mathematics 4 (M4) to accommodate growing programs in computer science, statistics, and related STEM disciplines. The 120,000-sf building will position the institution to harness its expertise in technology to revolutionize health care, address the climate crisis, improve cybersecurity, and create a more equitable society. M4 will develop the data-fluent, entrepreneurial leaders of tomorrow with spaces that enable experiential learning and discovery.

Meta will construct an advanced data center in Louisiana to drive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI). Representing an investment of over $10 billion, the custom-designed complex in Richland Parish will encompass approximately 4 million sf. The company is also spending $200 million to improve local infrastructure, offering substantial community benefits and catalyzing economic growth.

Construction has begun on the College of the Desert's $268 million campus in Palm Springs, Calif. Designed by WRNS Studio, this regional hub for education and innovation will provide dry labs, maker spaces, and studios for architecture, recording, and film. With multiple buildings spanning 27 acres, the 175,000-sf complex features The Accelerator, a two-story structure accommodating programs in digital media and arts, healthcare, and architecture.

The University of Pennsylvania opened the $173 million Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science & Technology in December of 2024 in Philadelphia. Designed by Behnisch Architekten, the seven-story building accommodates the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), an undergraduate dual-degree initiative run jointly by the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Siemens Mobility will begin construction in early 2025 on a £100 million innovation center for rail infrastructure in Chippenham, U.K. Designed by Arup and AHR, the digitally enabled complex will provide world-class R&D labs for the creation of novel transit solutions. Integrated research, testing, and factory environments will accelerate the production of the next generation of signaling and control systems for the United Kingdom.