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.
The National University of Singapore opened the six-story, 92,000-sf Net-Zero Energy Building in January of 2019. Providing design studios, teaching and research space, and common areas for the School of Design and Environment, SDE4 is the first new-build, net-zero facility in Singapore. WELL certification will be sought for the project, which features a rooftop solar farm with 1225 panels, a hybrid cooling system, and a narrow floorplate to optimize passive ventilation and natural lighting.
Pacific Northwest National Lab is planning to build a $90 million energy sciences research building in Richland, Wash. Designed by Kirksey Architecture, the collaborative facility will provide between 110,000 and 145,000 sf of flexible lab and office space to support fundamental research in chemistry, materials science, and computing. Accommodating advanced instrumentation including next-generation NMR and electron microscopy devices, the project will enable the development of new energy and transportation technologies.
Ryerson University opened the Centre for Urban Innovation in January of 2018 in Toronto. Designed by Moriyama & Teshima and ERA Architects, the CAD$46 million project included the renovation and expansion of an existing structure to create a 40,000-sf facility providing wet and dry research labs, fabrication suites, a maker space, and offices for business incubation and commercialization.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is planning to build the Translational Research Capability project in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Located on ORNL’s main campus, the three-story laboratory and office building will provide between 80,000 and 115,000 gsf of space to support growing research programs in materials science and computing. A request for qualifications will be released in April of 2019 for the design-build project, which has an estimated construction cost of $58 million. Work will begin on the facility in early 2020 with completion expected by December of 2022.
