Office

In both the public and private sector, the pendulum has swung away from remote work, and many leaders want their employees to come back to the office more days per week. While good workplace design can help make workplaces commute-worthy, the success of any return-to-office strategy depends on a mix of operational protocols and design decisions, says Kay Sargent, director of thought leadership, interiors, at global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm HOK.

Merck opened a filter and membrane manufacturing facility in October of 2025 in Cork, Ireland. Offering 32,291 sf of cleanroom space, the €150 million ($174.5 million) building will meet global demand in the production process of vaccines and life-changing biomedical treatments, including monoclonal antibodies and cell and gene therapies. By locating these expanded manufacturing capacities in Europe, Merck aims to reduce cross-border dependencies and ensure reliable access to critical filtration technologies.

Rice Real Estate Company and Lincoln Property Company are planning to construct a landmark research facility in the Ion District in Houston. Designed by HKS, the Arc will connect academic excellence with industry, institutional, and entrepreneurial partners to accelerate the transition of science and technology discoveries to the marketplace.

Claremont McKenna College opened the Robert Day Sciences Center in September of 2025 in Claremont, Calif. As the home for the new Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences, the 135,000-sf facility enables a transformative pedagogy organized around three overlapping foci: health, brain, and planet. The three-story structure supports a research-centered, solutions-driven curriculum, creating experiential learning opportunities for students and emphasizing the applications of artificial intelligence to real-world challenges.

Workplace occupancy planning used to be straightforward: People were assigned to an office, cubicle, or facility, and that is where they worked. Not so in the current hybrid work world. Traditional space and occupancy techniques are struggling to handle the complexity of today’s diverse facility use patterns. And increased pressure and regulations related to sustainability and energy usage only add to the challenge. However, AI is beginning to transform space and occupancy planning.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison opened a $267 million facility for the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences in August of 2025. Designed by LMN Architects and Kahler Slater, Morgridge Hall will act as a beacon of innovation for the state’s growing tech industry while meeting an increased demand for programs in robotics, cybersecurity, software design, and machine learning.

Nokia unveiled a state-of-the-art campus for R&D and manufacturing in September of 2025 in Oulu, Finland. Spanning 592,015 sf, this dynamic innovation hub will design, test, and deliver 5G and 6G radio networks built for artificial intelligence. The bipartite project comprises eight floors of flexible office space and a two-story factory for industrial production. Laboratories equipped with advanced technologies provide both simulated and real-world field verification environments to accelerate network evolution.

Southern Research opened a $98 million biotechnology center in August of 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. Designed by HOK and Williams Blackstock Architects, the 150,000-sf building will advance research crucial to human health and address pressing biomedical threats. The five-level structure features BSL-3 laboratories spanning 7,500 sf that provide essential biocontainment capacity for the study of infectious diseases.

BC Cancer broke ground in July of 2025 on the CAD 386 million ($281 million) Kamloops Cancer Center, which will be operated in partnership with Interior Health. Spanning five stories, the 226,042-sf facility will address a growing demand for high-quality, accessible care in the Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap region. An outpatient ambulatory clinic will offer ten examination rooms and two consultation rooms. A CT simulator will enable radiation therapy planning, accompanied by three linear accelerators (LINACs) in shielded treatment environments.

In the span of 16 months, Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center formulated and implemented a space realignment initiative that divested 30,000 sf of leased space, generated $2 million in savings and another $2 million in cost avoidance, and impacted approximately 1,400 people, 20% of its 7,000-member workforce.

Delta Electronics is planning to construct a regional headquarters in Hoofdorp in the Netherlands as part of a strategic expansion into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Located at the Park 20|20 business campus, the €42.26m ($48.72m) building will add 100,100 sf of modern office space for over 350 employees engaged in R&D, business development, and other departments.

Beacon Capital Partners and Trammell Crow Company completed Hyde Park Labs in July of 2025 in Chicago. The $225 million project was designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, Moody Nolan, and Interactive Design Architects to offer 300,000 rsf of Class A lab and office space spread over nine floors. With 4,200 sf of chemical storage space and vivarium access, the 13-story facility includes an executive boardroom, four floors of above- and below-ground parking, and street-level retail.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will begin construction in late 2025 on the first phase of Exploration Park in Houston. Developed by the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) and Griffin Partners, the dynamic ecosystem will provide up to 22 facilities with leasable environments for commercial space innovation. Build-to-suit options will range from 50,000 sf to 250,000 sf, with multi-tenant structures offering footprints of 15,000 sf to 100,000 sf.

Three years after the end of the pandemic, office occupancies have still not gone back to where they were pre-COVID, and there is a wide range of opinions about whether they should. While some executives have ordered everyone back into the office, arguing that being physically present facilitates engagement and innovation, many workers argue that their working life and their home life are better when they can choose where they log on.

Ivanhoé Cambridge and Lendlease celebrated the completion of a $545 million life sciences center in Boston in June of 2025. Designed by SGA, FORUM strategically integrates Class A laboratory environments with collaborative workspaces and engaging community amenities. The 350,000-rsf facility offers flexible floor plates spanning 50,000 sf, supported by robust infrastructure to meet the demands of next-generation research programs.