Energy

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is building a £22 million nuclear fusion research facility in Rotherham. Supporting the creation of advanced joining materials and components, the 26,900-sf structure will feature specialized testing suites that simulate the conditions inside a fusion reactor. The center is being constructed in the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) to promote collaboration with the adjacent Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority opened the 47,360-sf Research and Development Centre in March of 2020. Located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the United Arab Emirates, the four-story facility offers laboratories for the development of leading-edge technologies for solar power, smart grid integration, energy efficiency, and water management systems. Accelerating the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the center will enable the creation of innovative 3D printing and additive manufacturing modalities.

The Ohio State University is planning to construct two collocated research facilities in its West Campus innovation district in Columbus. Designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners and Moody Nolan, the 305,000-sf Interdisciplinary Research Facility will provide a vivarium, support spaces, and wet, computational, and core labs for programs in engineering and medical research.

Georgia Institute of Technology dedicated the $30 million Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design in October of 2019 in Atlanta. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent & The Miller Hull Partnership, the 47,000-sf facility provides two 64-person classrooms, a maker space, four class labs, a conference room, offices, and a 176-person auditorium.

North Carolina A&T State University is constructing the $90 million Engineering Research & Innovation Center in Greensboro. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering to promote experiential learning, the 130,000-sf teaching and research building will accommodate programs including cybersecurity, energy science, and health technology.

Idaho National Laboratory opened two new computing research facilities in Idaho Falls in October of 2019. Designed by Flad Architects, the $90 million project will accommodate joint research with Idaho State University, Boise State University, and the University of Idaho. 

Dartmouth College began construction in October of 2019 on the $100 million Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society in Hanover, N.H. Designed by Goody Clancy to promote an integrated approach to problem solving, the 55,000-gsf facility will accommodate programs in engineering, environmental studies, geopolitics, business, and economics. The three-story structure will be physically connected to Murdough Hall by an atrium, creating a natural point of convergence for faculty and students from across campus to collaborate on energy-related projects.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville broke ground in October of 2018 on a $129 million engineering building. Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty with SmithGroup as laboratory planner, the 228,000-sf multidisciplinary building will provide the Tickle College of Engineering with flexible research labs, maker spaces, project rooms, collaboration areas, divisible classrooms, an atrium, and dedicated space for the department of nuclear engineering. Completion is expected in fall of 2021.

The University of Texas at Austin broke ground in October of 2019 on the $168 million Gary L. Thomas Energy Engineering Building. Designed as a hub for energy-related education, research, and innovation, the 184,300-gsf building will feature leading-edge labs and classrooms, collaboration environments, and student project spaces. The six-story multidisciplinary facility will house the Cockrell School's mechanical, chemical, and petroleum engineering programs.

Katerra is constructing the $40 million Catalyst Building in Spokane, Wash. The five-story, 150,000-sf facility will accommodate leased space for Eastern Washington University's programs in computer science, electrical engineering, and visual communication design. Comprising two wings connected by a light-filled atrium, the collaborative $40 million building will provide dry labs, offices, classrooms, and study spaces.

Singapore Institute of Technology broke ground in September of 2019 on the Punggol Coast campus. Strategically sited on two plots of land in the JTC Punggol Digital District, the project will provide 240,000 gsf of education, research, and innovation space, and will eventually enable the university to consolidate its six existing locations.  Designed as a living laboratory for sustainability, the campus will be powered by a sophisticated microgrid, created in partnership with SP Group, that will supply gas, electricity, and thermal energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office announced up to $33.5 million in funding in May of 2019 for early-stage research and development of advanced building construction techniques to reduce energy costs. The Advanced Building Construction with Energy-Efficient Technologies & Practices (ABC) initiative aims to develop deep energy retrofit and new construction technologies that holistically tackle a combination of envelope, heating, cooling, water heating, and ventilation issues.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory broke ground on the $95 million Translational Research Capability facility in May of 2019 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Located on a brownfield site on ORNL’s main campus, the three-story, 100,000-sf building will provide laboratory and office space to support research programs in computing, quantum information, and materials science.

Boden Type Data Center One opened in February of 2019 in Boden, Sweden. Designed as a prototype for data center energy efficiency, the 500-kilowatt facility will operate with minimal environmental impact by implementing a range of highly innovative building systems and technologies. Funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program, the project was developed by a consortium of firms including H1 Systems, EcoCooling, Fraunhofer IOSB, RISE SICS North, and Boden Business Agency.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is planning to build a $33 million R&D facility for the creation of technologies for Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) in Kamakura, Japan. The project will accelerate the company’s development, evaluation, and demonstration of ZEB technologies to meet the growing demand for buildings that combine comfort and superior energy savings. Mitsubishi Electric’s ZEB technologies are part of the company’s wide-ranging effort to help achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.