The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) broke ground on the Agricultural Research and Technology Center in October of 2024. Consolidating labs currently located at the University of California, Davis, the $76 million facility will enable the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to continue its long-standing research collaboration with the institution.
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.
The vision of biomedical research as a collective effort is resoundingly clear in the $237.5 million Pelotonia Research Center, the first building to be completed in the 350-plus-acre Carmenton district on the campus of The Ohio State University (Ohio State) in Columbus. Opened in May 2023, the center integrates almost 100,000 sf of wet labs, 25,000 sf of computational labs, and 20,000 sf of core labs in a single facility designed to host interdisciplinary collaborations and public-private initiatives that focus on solving some of the most critical health challenges. With life science as the backbone of the research endeavor, current projects range from modeling cancer progressions to 3D printing of patient-specific anatomic models.
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.
Kadans Science Partner is constructing a 139,000-sf facility in Cambridge in the United Kingdom that will catalyze the discovery of new therapies, medical devices, and digital healthcare solutions. Providing fully fitted, best-in-class research environments, Merlin Place will offer CL2 wet labs, dry labs, and dedicated office spaces. A flexible structural grid with adaptable floor heights will support a range of configurations in the building, which will utilize a modular layout to accommodate multiple tenants or a single entity.
University of Arizona Health Sciences broke ground in late October of 2024 on the Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI). Delivered by the design-build team of SmithGroup and McCarthy Building Companies, the transformational project will serve as a physical and metaphorical gateway to the Downtown Phoenix district and the Phoenix Bioscience Core.
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.
UK Research and Innovation opened the £93 million National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) in Harwell in October of 2024. Located on the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Campus in Oxfordshire, the 43,055-sf facility features sophisticated dry research environments where multidisciplinary teams can design, build, and operate quantum computers. Available to users from across industry and academia, this purpose-built hub is envisioned as a catalyst for the discovery and the scale-up of commercially viable technologies.
Stanford University is building a consolidated home for the Graduate School of Education that will accelerate the creation of innovative new pedagogies and learning modalities. William Rawn Associates and CAW Architects designed the approximately 150,000-sf project, which includes the construction of a four-story, 42,700-sf structure. The three-story, 97,547-sf Graduate Education Building is also undergoing a complete renovation.
The University of Arizona opened the $99 million Grand Challenges Research Building (GCRB) in October of 2024 in Tucson. Designed by ZGF Architects and BWS Architects, the 115,000-sf facility offers flexible labs for programs in optics, quantum computing, advanced communications, and biomedicine. With instructional venues, study areas, and meeting rooms strategically located on the ground floor, the seven-story project features robust maker spaces and advanced instrumentation suites to drive interdisciplinary discovery.
The University of New Mexico opened the $43.2 million College of Nursing and Public Health Excellence (CON-PHE) building in Albuquerque in October of 2024. Designed by Dekker in association with RDG Planning & Design, the 93,000-sf structure consolidates activities previously dispersed in ten separate locations, while also providing critical space for expansion. Flexible teaching labs and classrooms are equipped with innovative technologies to support interactive learning, training, and exploration.
Michigan State University broke ground in October of 2024 on the $200 million Plant and Environmental Sciences Building in East Lansing. Designed by HED and CannonDesign, the 200,000-sf facility will accelerate the discovery and development of global solutions for food security. Approximately 40 principal investigators and their teams will occupy the structure, which will feature leading-edge wet labs, growth chambers, and instrumentation suites.
Breakthrough Properties celebrated the opening of a 510,000-sf life sciences campus in San Diego in October of 2024. Designed by Flad Architects, Torrey View by Breakthrough offers state-of-the-art wet labs for the development of novel therapies and technologies, as well as flexible workspaces and collaboration areas. An iconic tessellated envelope allows interior floor plates to be infused with natural light, maximizing occupant wellness and energy efficiency without compromising performance.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have initiated a strategic research collaboration to decarbonize the value chain throughout the healthcare ecosystem. One of the most difficult environmental challenges facing the industry today is greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released from the disposal of regulated medical waste, including pharmaceutical packaging and single-use plastics. A key objective of this analysis is to effectively identify, pilot, and share decarbonization solutions that other healthcare organizations can adopt.
The University of California, Riverside opened its new School of Business in September of 2024 to equip the next generation of corporate leaders and entrepreneurs with vital competencies. Created by the design-build team of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners and McCarthy Building Companies, the $87 million facility centralizes academic activities currently dispersed across campus while accommodating significant programmatic growth.
