Materials Science

Kadans Science Partner began construction in November of 2025 on a 217,000-sf science and innovation building in the United Kingdom. Designed by Sheppard Robson, Plus Ultra Manchester will accommodate organizations from across the life sciences, health research, advanced materials, and deep technologies sectors. The facility’s customizable floor plates will provide a flexible arrangement of laboratories, cleanrooms, offices, and assembly space. A vibrant atrium will interlink with numerous breakout zones to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground in November of 2025 on the Bakar Labs for Energy + Materials to establish beacon for excellence in entrepreneurship. The 146,000-sf facility will provide world-class wet laboratories and collaboration space for research initiatives and up to 75 early-stage companies. Designed by Gensler to ensure flexibility and adaptability through a reconfigurable framework, the five-story structure will house 3D printing studios, offices, and meeting and conference rooms.

California State University, Northridge opened the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center in August of 2025 in Los Angeles. Designed by AC Martin with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory consultant, the $62.7 million facility accommodates programs for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, including six flexible discovery environments.

Savannah River National Laboratory opened the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC) in August of 2025 on the campus of the University of South Carolina Aiken. Designed by STOA Architects and Page (now part of Stantec), the $66 million facility will enable the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management to engage in collaborative discovery with academic institutions, industry partners, and government agencies at the city, state, and federal level. 

The University of Alabama at Birmingham celebrated the opening of Frances and Miller Gorrie Hall in June of 2025. Designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood, the $77 million facility advances the School of Engineering’s mission to attract leading faculty and train the next generation of modern engineers. The 116,000-sf structure enables a progressive pedagogy that blends academic instruction with hands-on learning and industry experience.

The Government of Canada is investing in federal science to strengthen the safety of air, rail, marine and pipeline transportation systems that Canadians rely on every day. Located in Ottawa, the Transportation Safety and Technology Science (TSTS) hub will transform how federal researchers and private investigators work together by bringing them under one roof. Architecture49 and B+H Architects designed the 226,000-sf facility, which will serve as a shared space for the National Research Council and the Transportation Safety Board.

The University of Delaware opened a $180 million science and innovation facility in April of 2025 to catalyze interdisciplinary discovery and expand educational capacity. Built on the former site of McKinley Hall in Newark, the 132,500-sf building houses research and teaching labs with damp and dry functionalities, faculty offices and student workspaces, and conference rooms. Standing three stories above grade, the structure’s basement level accommodates an extension of UD’s Bio-Imaging Center, physics labs, and areas for the fabrication of advanced materials.

The University of Texas at El Paso opened the $80 million Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace Center (AMAC) in April of 2025. Designed by Treanor and Ayers Saint Gross to catalyze discovery and innovation, the leading-edge facility provides sophisticated environments for research, teaching, and hands-on learning. Spanning 98,000 sf, the highly flexible structure houses the College of Engineering’s Aerospace Center and W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation.

George Mason University opened the $107 million Life Sciences and Engineering Building in Manassas in March of 2025. Located on the SciTech campus, the 132,000-sf facility leverages a central location in Virginia’s tech corridor to drive advances in research and education. The four-story structure houses growing programs within the colleges of Engineering and Computing, Science, Education and Human Development, and Visual and Performing Arts.

Cornell University is planning to expand Duffield Hall to create a vibrant home for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Ithaca, N.Y. Supported by a $100 million donation, the project will add 130,000 sf of new and renovated space. Upon completion, the 300,000-sf facility will feature an embedded, low-vibration research wing for quantum computing on a built-out basement level, complemented by three stories above grade.

HITT Contracting broke ground in January of 2025 on the company's new headquarters in Falls Church, Va. Designed by Gensler, the 270,000-sf facility is envisioned as a nationally recognized innovation hub for the advancement of building practices that will shape the future of the industry. The project involves the transformation of an existing office structure, previously a satellite campus operated by Virginia Tech, into a collaborative educational center for the built environment.

The University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre finished construction in November of 2024 on an open-access innovation facility for aerospace R&D in the United Kingdom. Expanding the capabilities of the adjacent Factory 2050, the 29,700-sf structure will initially house the Composites at Speed and Scale (COMPASS) initiative. An expansive factory environment will enable academic, government, and industry partners to work side-by-side, complemented by individual workshops and ancillary spaces.

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.

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. 

The Canadian Centre for Advanced Material Manufacturing (CCAM) opened in Mississauga in fall of 2024. The transformation of the existing building was designed by the Canada FIRST joint venture, a collaboration between HOK, Architecture49, and WSP. The ambitious project represents the first milestone in the Laboratories Canada program, a strategic initiative by the federal government aimed at modernizing and enhancing science facilities across the nation.