Johns Hopkins University is planning to construct a 476,572-sf facility for the Data Science and AI Institute (DSAI) on the Homewood Campus in Baltimore. Designed by ZGF, this global hub for research and discovery will bring together experts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science and translation, applied mathematics, and computer science and engineering.
Ohio University began construction in January of 2025 on the $75 million Heritage Translational Research Center (HTRC) in Athens. Designed by Perkins&Will and DesignGroup, the 80,000-sf facility will consolidate laboratories and operations currently dispersed across campus, creating a collaborative ecosystem for clinical innovation. The four-story structure will provide bench space for translational biomedical research, as well as labs and support spaces for population health and clinical research.
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 fast-moving nature of biotechnology innovation means architects and designers for Regeneron have to plan for researchers’ requirements to change by the time new laboratories open on the Tarrytown, N.Y., campus. The campus is undergoing a $1.8 billion expansion, adding 900,000 sf of new laboratory and office space, along with additional parking, amenities, and infrastructure to support research and development. The new laboratories will be able to evolve as the biotech industry finds new ways to use artificial intelligence, CRISPR genome editing technology, robotics, and other advances.
Leggat McCall Properties and DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners opened a 370,000-rsf life sciences building at Boynton Yards in Somerville in November of 2024. Strategically sited less than a mile from Kendall Square, 808 Windsor was designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge as a catalyst for biomedical and pharmaceutical innovation. JLL Capital Markets arranged $246 million in construction financing for the project with capital partner Deutsche Finance America.
Case Western Reserve University celebrated the official groundbreaking of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB) in October of 2024 in Cleveland. Designed by HGA in partnership with local firm DVA Architecture, the 189,000-sf facility will collocate more than 60 principal investigators from the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences. The $300 million structure will offer both wet and dry labs, a shared core lab, and advanced technology platforms.
The vision of biomedical research as a collective effort is resoundingly clear in the $237.5 million Pelotonia Research Center, the first building to be completed in the 350-plus-acre Carmenton district on the campus of The Ohio State University (Ohio State) in Columbus. Opened in May 2023, the center integrates almost 100,000 sf of wet labs, 25,000 sf of computational labs, and 20,000 sf of core labs in a single facility designed to host interdisciplinary collaborations and public-private initiatives that focus on solving some of the most critical health challenges. With life science as the backbone of the research endeavor, current projects range from modeling cancer progressions to 3D printing of patient-specific anatomic models.
Rice University’s Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, which opened in September 2023, is a 250,000-gsf center for advanced materials sciences designed to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration by bringing together researchers in the fields of chemistry, biomolecular engineering, physics, and nanoengineering who had previously been scattered across 13 different buildings around the campus.
Kadans Science Partner is constructing a 139,000-sf facility in Cambridge in the United Kingdom that will catalyze the discovery of new therapies, medical devices, and digital healthcare solutions. Providing fully fitted, best-in-class research environments, Merlin Place will offer CL2 wet labs, dry labs, and dedicated office spaces. A flexible structural grid with adaptable floor heights will support a range of configurations in the building, which will utilize a modular layout to accommodate multiple tenants or a single entity.
Virginia Commonwealth University needed new space for math and science classes. When prototypes and stakeholder feedback indicated the student experience was top priority, they changed their planned two-stage facility to a single STEM building focused on making it easier for students to learn in the ways that suit them best, with spaces designed to break down barriers between faculty and students.
The Province of Alberta opened the $1.4 billion Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in October of 2024. Designed by Stantec and DIALOG, the state-of-the art complex provides 2 million sf of space for research, treatment, and educational services. This hub for world-class oncology care and innovation offers 100 patient exam rooms, 12 radiation vaults, 90 chemotherapy seats, and over 160 inpatient beds.
The University of Glasgow broke ground in October of 2024 on a dynamic new center for teaching and research on its Gilmorehill campus. Designed by HOK, the Keystone Building will offer instructional settings and technical environments for over 3,600 students of all disciplines. The £300 million structure will feature advanced computational laboratories and a range of wet and dry lab spaces. Providing general teaching facilities for the James Watt School of Engineering, the development will also include a maker space, collaborative areas, and a café.
Lehigh University's new Health, Science & Technology Building is designed to break down silos between academic departments, to enhance faculty research and better prepare students for tomorrow’s transdisciplinary world. Three different lab modules—with no walls between them—facilitate easy transitions from one use to another, as well as expansion and contraction as needs change. And collaboration spaces are strategically located between labs throughout the building.
Prior to the development of a master plan for expansion of research facilities at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), campus facility planners conducted a 15-month strategic visioning initiative that resulted in the creation of a digital space planning and visualization tool called PREVIEW.
King Street Properties has announced the substantial completion of the South Building at the Landing, a purpose-built complex for biomedical innovation. Designed by Perkins&Will, the seven-story, 300,000-sf facility offers 46,500-sf floor plates and advanced MEP systems to support a 60/40 lab-to-office ratio. Robust research programs can be accommodated by 15-foot deck-to-deck heights, with expansive 20-foot heights available on the ground floor.
