Georgia Tech opened the Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center in May of 2026 in Atlanta. Designed by SLAM, the leading-edge facility spans over 100,000 sf and serves all 17 of the Yellow Jackets’ sports programs. The institution’s first-ever sports science lab features markerless motion-capture cameras, force plates, and advanced gait-analysis technologies.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst opened the $43 million School of Public Health and Health Sciences Hub in May of 2026 to drive innovation, interdisciplinary discovery, and student success. Consolidating the school’s six departments from seven disparate locations across campus, the 26,800-sf facility was designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates to support contemporary approaches to team-based learning. Flexible classrooms of varying sizes are accompanied by seminar rooms, open collaboration areas, and advising offices.
The University of West Florida broke ground in April of 2026 on an advanced intelligence, cybersecurity, and engineering research facility in Pensacola. Building 129, also known as the Synapse, was designed by Caldwell Architects and Perkins&Will to serve as the base for the Center for Computational Intelligence and the Center for Cybersecurity and AI.
The University of Nevada, Reno is constructing a $75 million facility to expand capacity for the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (a branch of the School of Public Health). Designed by Van Woert Bigotti, the 55,000-sf building will offer flexible laboratories, dedicated research and screening environments, and specialized containment areas including a BSL-3 lab. A new toxicology program will focus on substance abuse issues. Sophisticated conference rooms will be accompanied by collaboration spaces and staff offices.
Ford Motor Company is planning to repurpose its former Product Development Center as part of the 3.3 million-sf World Headquarters Complex in Dearborn, Mich. The transformed facility, to be known as World Headquarters South, will provide a modern workplace for 5,000 employees. Existing studios will be converted into flexible, double-height environments accommodating laboratories, vehicle testing operations, and prototyping.
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is constructing a $200 million replacement facility for the state crime laboratory in North Little Rock. Driving scientific innovation and expanding capacity for the justice system, the 190,000-sf building will support advanced forensic disciplines including DNA analysis, toxicology, digital forensics, firearms examination, and other critical services.
The Texas A&M University System opened the STEM Education and Research Center in March of 2026 on the RELLIS Campus in Bryan. Designed by PBK Architects, this dynamic hub for applied science unites academic programming with innovation to accelerate the translation of breakthroughs into next-generation technologies. The $43.4 million facility provides students with unique opportunities for hands-on learning as they engage in shared discovery with researchers and industry partners.
Procter & Gamble is creating a new R&D facility for subsidiary firm Gillette in South Boston. Representing an investment of nearly $1 billion, the nine-story building with feature the Technical Innovation Center as well as serving as the headquarters for Gillette's grooming business. The 324,315-sf structure was designed by Payette as an integrated destination for research, engineering, product development, and administration, uniting operations currently spread over the company’s 31-acre campus.
Dallas County Health and Human Services opened its new Public Health Laboratory in March of 2026. Strategically sited in the Southwestern Medical District, the $52 million facility offers state-of-the-art environments for the detection and mitigation of infectious agents and toxins. The 67,000-sf building centralizes lab services previously dispersed in several locations while significantly increasing capacity for testing, disease surveillance, and emergency response.
The University of Miami Health System is transforming cancer care and research in South Florida with the opening of the Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building. Representing an investment of over $250 million, the state-of-the-art facility was designed by HOK to seamlessly integrate biomedical discovery with world-class patient treatment. The 244,000-sf structure doubles the footprint of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and provides the Miller School of Medicine with leading-edge research environments for collaborative team science.
The University of California, Los Angeles is constructing the UCLA Research Park to create an engine of innovation and economic growth for Southern California and beyond. The visionary project is transforming the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall into a dynamic destination where basic scientists join with industry experts to advance discovery and commercialization. Acquired by UCLA in December of 2023, the property encompasses more than 1.3 million gsf on 9.2 acres, with two main buildings spanning a total of 700,000 sf connected by an enclosed pedestrian bridge.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building (ALGEN) is the product of a down-to-the-concrete renovation that transformed an aging, nondescript health sciences research facility into a modern, light-filled home to seven floors of four different dry lab phenotypes. The building is topped by an executive floor that, for the first time, brings together key leadership of the university’s health system and Heersink School of Medicine (HSOM). Fresh glazing on an expanse stretching over a busy downtown street creates a striking double helix pattern that telegraphs the building’s mission. A newly constructed conference center adjoins the renovated structure.
JLL has announced the availability of a 235,000-sf Class A R&D facility in Suffern, N.Y., for sale and/or lease on behalf of Regeneron, a biotechnology company based in Westchester County. Designed by HLW, 1 Avon Place is purpose-built for research and development and offers a highly adaptable layout supported by existing lab, office, and robust technical infrastructure.
Ancora is planning to construct a vibrant research and innovation hub in South Bend, Ind. Created in partnership with University of Notre Dame, the City of South Bend, and the State of Indiana, Colfax Corner will bring together academic experts, startups, established companies, and students to shorten the pathway from idea to impact. A five-story facility will offer 202,000 sf of laboratories, offices, and gathering venues.
Hybrid workplace strategies continue to make headlines, as some high-profile companies are requiring all employees to return to the office five days a week. Many other companies, such as Stantec, a global architectural engineering firm, continue to embrace the hybrid approach, giving employees the flexibility to work remotely part of the week while fostering in-person collaboration during designated office days. Stantec initially adopted this hybrid approach due to pandemic restrictions, but, after seeing the collaborative and financial benefits, decided to maintain their commitment to supporting hybrid work environments.
