Unilever is planning to construct a global innovation center in New Haven, Conn., to drive expansion in the U.S. market. Focusing on beauty, personal care, and wellbeing brands, the 200,000-sf facility will be fully AI powered and leverage the latest technologies including quantum computing and machine learning to accelerate the scaling of product development.
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.
Harwell's 70,000-sf speculative laboratory complex at its Science and Innovation Campus in the United Kingdom reached practical completion in May of 2026. Designed by Scott Brownrigg, Tech Foundry 3 comprises six mid-tech units ranging upwards in size from 5,800 sf that can accommodate advanced and industrial manufacturing settings, R&D space, and both wet and dry laboratories. These flexible, self-contained units offer private entrances, grade-level access loading doors, and a minimum clear internal height of 32 feet.
Murray State University broke ground in April of 2026 on the $60 million Veterinary Sciences Building in Murray to address workforce shortages throughout Kentucky. Designed by Hafer, the 88,000-sf facility will house the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Hutson School of Agriculture’s programs in veterinary technology and pre-veterinary medicine. The one-story structure will be organized into three wings interconnected by support spaces.
When Yale University set out to reinvest in its sciences, the challenge was as much logistical as architectural. The university is constrained by finite capital budgets and an urban campus in New Haven, Conn., that is dense with heritage buildings. Several interlocking institutional initiatives shaped the approach, including the Yale Sustainability Plan, the Yale Planetary Solutions program, and a Science Strategy Committee report issued in 2018. That report identified five high-priority areas: integrative data science, quantum science, neuroscience, inflammation, and environmental and evolutionary sciences. Two projects—the Kline Tower and Kline Geology Laboratory—directly addressed the data science and environmental and evolutionary sciences priorities.
The University of California, Berkeley held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May of 2026 to celebrate the approaching completion of the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Gateway building. The $557 million facility will house the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS) and bring together approximately 1,325 faculty, students, and staff to elevate education and accelerate AI-driven discovery.
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.
The University of Louisville broke ground in April of 2026 on the Health Sciences Building to advance discovery and provide the critical infrastructure needed to prepare the next generation of healthcare providers in Kentucky and beyond. Designed by Champlin | EOP and Perkins&Will, the $280 million facility will act as a nexus for the schools of medicine, nursing, public health, information sciences, and dentistry.
Providence Health Care is constructing the new St. Paul’s Hospital at the Jim Pattison Medical Campus in Vancouver. Designed by HDR and Stantec, the CAD 2.18 billion (USD 1.59 billion) building will integrate leading-edge technology to expand access to care and elevate patient outcomes.
The Auburn Research and Technology Foundation (ARTF) broke ground in April of 2026 on a $22 million facility for Auburn University's RFID Lab in Alabama. The 100,000-sf building was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood to meet the growing demands of innovation, research, and collaboration in advancing the development of radio frequency identification technologies.
The University of Texas at Tyler opened a $308 million facility for the School of Medicine in April of 2026. The nearly 250,000-sf building will strengthen health infrastructure and address national and regional provider shortages by creating a robust talent pipeline and expanding residency programs.
Louisiana State University (LSU) opened the Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building in April of 2026 in Baton Rouge. Serving as a vibrant nexus for scientific inquiry, STEM education, and industry collaboration, the new home of the College of Science drives innovation in the five key focus areas of geology and geophysics, chemistry, biological sciences, mathematics, and astronomy and physics.
The landscape of academic research has shifted dramatically over the past three decades. Where scientists once worked within single disciplines, today’s researchers tackle complex societal challenges demanding collaboration across multiple fields, and the development of partnerships with private industries addressing the same issues. This evolution has fundamentally changed the approach to research facility design, requiring unique considerations for buildings whose users may not yet be identified and whose research hasn’t been imagined. As a result, the design process has become more cyclical, with fewer known variables upfront, requiring uncertainty management while still delivering buildings that will serve institutions for decades to come.
