Engineering

Carnegie Mellon University broke ground in early 2024 on the $252 million Richard King Mellon Hall of Sciences in Pittsburgh. Designed by ZGF Architects and R3A Architecture, the 338,900-sf complex will advance a new era of data-driven research, cross-disciplinary education, and creative expression. The transformative development will collocate the College of Science and the School of Computer Science with the Institute for Contemporary Art Pittsburgh in a prominent city intersection to foster connections with the local community.

The most accurate prediction about the future of science is that it cannot be predicted, especially when it comes to laboratory facilities that support higher education, research, and manufacturing. Attention to these seven key considerations can help futureproof laboratory facilities: floor-to-floor height, utility distribution strategy, exterior research space, specialized environments, hazardous components, structural considerations, and engineering criteria.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology dedicated the new home of the Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing in Cambridge in April of 2024. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed Building 45 as a dynamic campus crossroads where diverse groups can connect and engage in shared discovery. The eight-story, 178,000-sf facility offers sophisticated research environments for the study of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Case Western Reserve University will break ground in May of 2024 on the $300 million Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building in Cleveland. Designed by HGA and Van Auken Akins Architects, the 189,000-sf facility will house the School of Engineering and provide additional capacity for the College of Arts and Sciences. Flexible research labs will be complemented by dedicated technical suites for the discovery of new medical treatments, energy solutions, and sustainable manufacturing modalities.

Florida Polytechnic University broke ground in April of 2024 on the Gary C. Wendt Engineering Building in Lakeland. Designed by DLR Group, the $15 million facility is envisioned as a vibrant social hub where innovation converges with education. The 40,000-sf facility will offer four multidisciplinary labs where students can engage in hands-on learning, making, and research. Featuring raw materials and exposed structural elements, the two-story development will include an atrium, a conference room, collaboration spaces, and an office suite.

Virginia Commonwealth University broke ground in April of 2024 on the $253 million CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation in Richmond. Designed by William Rawn Associates and Glavé & Holmes Architecture, the 213,000-sf facility will feature flexible classrooms, interdisciplinary performance venues, maker spaces, and an expansive atrium with an interactive staircase.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will break ground in summer of 2024 on a 68,000-sf research facility at the Forrestal campus in Plainsboro. Designed by SmithGroup, the Princeton Plasma Innovation Center will offer laboratories of various sizes where PPPL investigators will engage in shared discovery with academic and industry partners. Open meeting venues with whiteboards will encourage the spontaneous exchange of ideas, and collaboration spaces equipped with advanced technologies will support interaction with remote participants.

The University of Pennsylvania is building the $173.5 million Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science & Technology in Philadelphia. Designed by Behnisch Architekten, the seven-story, 113,764-sf facility will enable investigators from the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to discover new solutions for energy generation, storage, and management.

Siemens Mobility is planning to construct a £100 million innovation center for rail infrastructure in Chippenham. Featuring world-class R&D labs for the discovery of novel travel solutions, the digitally enabled complex will produce the next generation of signaling and control systems for the United Kingdom. Open office areas designed to support hybrid working will be accompanied by sophisticated meeting rooms and collaboration spaces.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will begin construction in 2025 on a $347 million facility for the College of Engineering. Standing seven stories above grade with one basement level, the 395,000-gsf structure will provide 211,000 asf of collaborative teaching and research space. Multidisciplinary labs will open onto flexible meeting and write-up areas, accompanied by dedicated venues for engaging with industry partners. The modular and adaptable building will promote experiential education with active learning classrooms, studios, workshops, and maker spaces.

Miami University opened the $58 million Richard M. McVey Data Science Building in March of 2024 in Oxford, Ohio. Designed by BHDP Architecture and CannonDesign, the 92,000-sf facility provides collaborative environments for learning, making, and discovery.

The new Science and Engineering Building (SEB), completed in 2020 on the campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio, is helping the engineering, biology, and chemistry departments overcome the challenges of inadequate infrastructure, crowded instructional rooms, poor access between labs across multiple buildings, insufficient lab support areas, and lack of space to accommodate capstone projects.

The University of Louisville is constructing a $90 million facility to provide the J.B. Speed School of Engineering with dynamic environments for hands-on learning and discovery. Designed by Luckett & Farley and SmithGroup, the 114,000-sf structure will accommodate laboratories, classrooms, a maker space, design studios, and event venues. The four-story development will drive the growth of Kentucky’s technology-enabled economy by offering collaboration venues for shared exploration with industry partners.

Agratas, a subsidiary of Tata Group, will break ground in spring of 2024 on a £4 billion battery factory in the United Kingdom. Located on the Gravity Smart Campus in Bridgwater, the three-building complex will leverage highly efficient processes and technologies to produce advanced battery cells for electric vehicles. The sustainable project involves the adaptive reuse of an existing brownfield site and the creation of sophisticated renewable energy systems.

San Diego State University broke ground in February of 2024 on the $95 million Sciences and Engineering Laboratories in Brawley, Calif. Located on the Imperial Valley campus, the 37,000-sf structure will provide flexible classrooms, teaching labs, and training venues. The sustainably designed building will also include the STEM Innovation Hub where faculty and students can engage in collaborative research. A covered outdoor courtyard will act as a year-round destination for informal interaction and study.