Collaboration

Southern New Hampshire University opened the 67,000-sf College of Engineering, Technology, and Aeronautics in January of 2020 in Manchester, N.H. Accommodating STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the three-story building provides flexible teaching labs, collaboration spaces, a drone flight area, a wind tunnel, a 3D printing lab, a wood shop, and suites for robotics, virtual reality, and materials science.

The University of Texas at Dallas is constructing the $101 million Science Building to provide leading-edge teaching and research spaces for the departments of physics, mathematics, and chemistry. Designed by Stantec, the 186,000-sf collaborative facility will feature 12 instructional laboratories, a large learning venue with integrated classroom and lab functions, and specialized suites for optics, acoustics, and cryogenics.

Pennsylvania State University is planning to build the $56.8 million Center for Innovation, Making and Learning in State College. The project will include the demolition of the existing James Building and construction of an 85,000-sf facility accommodating maker spaces, workshops, a virtual reality and immersive technology lab, lecture venues, and co-working and collaboration areas.

The University of Cincinnati is constructing the 180,000-sf Digital Futures Building in the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Designed by KieranTimberlake with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the interdisciplinary facility will provide applied research labs for the creation of innovative robotic, automotive, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies.

Corporate and academic research institutions are shifting towards a more interdisciplinary model for designing new lab buildings, with the goal of accelerating discovery times and increasing innovation. This means creating more open, team-based laboratories, with shared equipment and collaboration areas that increase interaction between scientists from different disciplines while optimizing space and resources. Two recent case studies illustrating this approach include the new 840,000-sf Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) in Cambridge, Mass., and a new 316,000-sf academic science facility at Towson University near Baltimore, Md. While one project is corporate and the other academic, much of the design and programming for both projects is focused around mapping out the research activities needed to get to the desired outcome.

Siemens Mobility Limited is planning to build a rail innovation campus in Goole in the United Kingdom. Designed by Arup and AHR, the 860,000-sf complex will include a £200 million manufacturing center and the Rail Accelerator and Innovation Solutions Hub for Enterprise (RaisE) to support collaborative research with academic and industry partners. The first phase of RaisE's construction comprises a £6 million, 34,400-sf structure providing offices, labs, and support space. Production is expected to begin at the site in 2023.

University of South Florida Health opened the $173 million Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in January of 2020 in Tampa. Designed by HOK, the 395,000-sf facility provides large auditoriums, adaptable classrooms, and an experiential learning lab to support the delivery of team-based medical pedagogies. Instructional spaces are integrated with lab areas on four floors of the building to encourage interdisciplinary interaction.

Arizona State University broke ground in January of 2020 on a $73.5 million digital innovation campus in Mesa. Designed by Holly Street Studio and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 118,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in digital and sensory technology, media arts, experiential design, gaming, and film production for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Trinity College Dublin will begin construction in mid-2020 on the Martin Naughton E3 Learning Foundry in Ireland. Supporting a project-based pedagogy for STEM education, the $67 million interdisciplinary facility will offer interactive learning spaces and laboratories for the Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies Institute. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to promote collaboration and innovation, the six-story, 78,102-sf building will be shared by the schools of engineering, natural sciences, and computer science and statistics.

Radford University is planning to build the $97.8 million Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity in Radford, Va. Designed by Hord Coplan Macht to support an innovative pedagogy based on the integration of educational programs in the arts, health sciences, and technology, the 178,000-sf facility will offer classrooms, clinical simulation training suites, performance venues, studios, maker spaces, computer centers, and virtual and augmented reality labs.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is constructing an $80 million academic and research facility in Worcester, Mass. Designed by Gensler, the 100,000-sf building will provide interactive spaces for project-based education including flexible learning environments and innovation labs for collaborative development with industry and government partners.

The Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult opened the Catapult Innovation Centre in December of 2019 in Newport, Wales. Designed as a locus for the region’s growing high-tech industry, the facility provides sophisticated cleanrooms, a design studio, open-plan offices, a boardroom, conference and breakout rooms, a collaborative amphitheater, an advanced packaging suite, and R&D labs for photonics, radio frequencies, and power electronics.

Highline College opened the $30 million Health and Life Sciences Building in January of 2020 in Des Moines. Designed by McGranahan Architects, the 46,000-sf facility offers flexible learning environments including classrooms, labs, faculty offices, and study spaces. Supporting a pedagogy of team-based care, the project collocates all the college’s health professions programs in a single location to enhance collaborative learning.

George Mason University is planning to build a digital innovation campus in Arlington, Va. Creating a collaborative hub for research, education, and entrepreneurship, the project includes the demolition of an existing structure and the construction of a 360,500-gsf mixed-use facility and parking garage. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering, the $200 million building will house the School of Computing, the Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA), and corporate R&D labs with co-working spaces.

Stevens Institute of Technology opened the $68 million Gateway Academic Center in December of 2019 in Hoboken, N.J. Designed by WRT, the 89,500-sf teaching and research facility is comprised of two buildings connected by a glass skybridge. The four-story complex provides 10 technology-rich classrooms, 13 labs, 45 faculty offices, conference rooms, reception halls, areas for student organizations, and multipurpose flex spaces.