Charles Schwab is engaged in a major expansion of its 50-acre Gracy Farms campus in north Austin. In June of 2018, the financial services company opened two five-story buildings providing 469,000 sf of office space, as well as an amenities center and a parking garage. Featuring a 275-seat multipurpose auditorium and an onsite yoga studio, the complex offers integrated campus walking trails and flexible sit/stand workstations.
Nottingham Trent University began construction in June of 2018 on two new STEM buildings in Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Located on the Clifton campus, the £22 million Medical Technologies Innovation Facility will provide sophisticated research and development labs, write-up areas, instructional spaces, offices, and a conference room. Designed by GSSArchitecture, the two-story interdisciplinary building will accommodate industry partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of new health technologies.
Eastern Virginia Medical School broke ground in June of 2018 on the $80 million Education and Academic Support Building in Norfolk. Designed by RRMM Architects in collaboration with EYP Architecture and Engineering, the 11-story, 138,000-sf structure will provide leading-edge instructional facilities to accommodate a progressive pedagogy for the delivery of team-based care.
Stonehill College broke ground in May of 2018 on the $30 million Leo J. Meehan School of Business in Easton, Mass. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the technology-rich facility will feature adaptive classrooms, collaboration spaces, simulated trading rooms, and advanced business innovation studios with maker spaces. The 65,000-sf project, which is being constructed by BOND, will also include Bloomberg rooms offering training and access to the company's interactive financial information network. Completion is expected in fall of 2019.
AstraZeneca opened its 163,000-sf South San Francisco facility in May of 2018. Located in the Cove at Oyster Point, the project houses a total of 400 employees from four organizations: Acerta Pharma, MedImmune, Pearl Therapeutics, and Technology Innovation & Delivery Excellence (TIDE). Designed by HOK to promote collaboration and innovation, the open lab and office environments incorporate AstraZeneca’s iWork philosophy, an activity-based approach that embraces industry best practices.
North Carolina State University broke ground in April of 2018 on the $150 million Fitts-Woolard Hall in Raleigh. Accommodating the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, the 250,000-sf project will provide leading-edge laboratories and classrooms, as well as administrative space for the office of the dean.
Southern New Hampshire University is planning to build a 67,000-sf facility for the College of Engineering, Technology, and Aeronautics in Manchester, N.H. Designed by Wilson Architects, the three-story STEM building will provide teaching labs, flexible classrooms, collaboration spaces, a computer lab, and suites for robotics, materials science, and 2D/3D printing. The facility will feature four CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) hubs where students can work on projects from conception through operation to create real-world solutions and products.
SUNY New Paltz is building the $14 million Engineering Innovation Hub in New Paltz, N.Y. Accommodating a new bachelor’s degree program in mechanical engineering, the 19,500-sf facility will feature the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center to provide instruction in 3D design and printing. Designed by Urbahn Associates to foster collaboration with industry partners, the hub will also include space for businesses participating in the START-UP NY economic development incentive program. Completion is expected in summer of 2019.
The University of Houston opened the $145 million Health 2 facility in May of 2018. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch, the nine-story, 300,000-sf project is the university's second health and biosciences building and houses the College of Pharmacy, the Department of Health and Human Performance, the Student Health Services Clinic, and the Primary Care and Behavior Clinics.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) inaugurated the 145,300-sf Dow Innovation Center in May of 2018. Created in partnership with The Dow Chemical Company, the facility offers sophisticated research laboratories for creation of advanced technologies for water, oil, and gas processing, and the development of innovative construction materials and coatings. The project was designed by HOK and Kirksey Architects with Vanderweil Engineers as MEP engineer.
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is building the $200 million Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Neuroscience Research Building in Pasadena. Designed by SmithGroup to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, the three-story, 150,000-sf facility will provide wet, dry, and computational research labs, a teaching lab, a vivarium, a 150-seat lecture hall, conference rooms, and offices for investigators and staff.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center celebrated the opening of the $39.7 million Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS) in Memphis in May of 2018. Designed by brg3s architects, the three-story, 45,000-sf facility will enable students from the colleges of dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, health professions, graduate health sciences, and medicine to train together in the delivery of team-based care.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney broke ground in May of 2018 on the $30 million Discovery Hall. Replacing the existing Otto Olsen building, the collaborative 90,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in mathematics, engineering, physics and astronomy, construction management, industrial distribution, interior design, aviation, and computer sciences and information technology. The interdisciplinary STEM building will provide technology-rich labs and classrooms, a full-motion simulator, and an ITEC Testing Center.
The Dow Chemical Company is planning a $121 million expansion and renovation of its heritage corporate campus in Williams Township, Mich. The new Innovation Center will house approximately 200 R&D employees engaged in the collaborative development of innovative products and technologies that bridge silicone science and organic chemistry. An existing structure will be renovated to create the 28,000-sf Product Safety Laboratory.
The University of Edinburgh opened the £23 million Charnock Bradley Building in May of 2018 in Scotland. Located on the Easter Bush campus, the 75,000-sf facility is part of the school's master plan to create the European Centre of Excellence in Animal Sciences and Food Security. Designed by Atkins Global, the project houses teaching labs, student services, exhibition space, and the Roslin Innovation Centre, a business incubator with research and office space for startups and industry partners.
