Genomics

The new Research Building IV (RB4) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) in Columbus, Ohio, provides an ideal environment for productivity, collaboration, and flexibility by using a space policy to maximize the efficient use of labs and ancillary spaces; a neighborhood floor plan; and shared resources. The 290,000-sf building, which opened in May 2023 as part of NCH’s Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI), aligns with the hospital’s “one team” culture by providing opportunities for scientists to collaborate, propelling pediatric research forward and closing the gap between lab research and bedside care.

Mount Sinai Health System opened the $100 million Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health in November of 2024 in New York. Designed by HOK, the project involved the transformation of a former nursing residence into a 65,000-sf research hub for computational discovery. The 12-story structure will initially house approximately 40 principal investigators, alongside 250 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, computer scientists, and staff.

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. 

The Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health in San Antonio illustrates the pivotal role location plays in enhancing the success of an internationally recognized research program. The Institute previously occupied two buildings at a research park 23 miles from the university’s main campus. University administrators wanted to collocate all research on the same campus to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and interaction, with proximity to all clinical research activities, and to promote efficiency and the shared use of resources. 

The University of Kentucky began construction in spring of 2024 on the $781 million Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building in Lexington. Designed by Champlin Architecture and HGA, the 550,000-sf structure will serve as the new home for the Markey Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the state. This pivotal project aims to streamline the delivery of care and improve health outcomes by consolidating outpatient clinics and oncology support services in a single integrated location.