Engineering

The Texas A&M University System is creating a $546 million complex at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. A renovated 18-story structure will accommodate the groundbreaking Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program when it opens in summer of 2020. Two new towers will be developed through a public-private partnership (P3). Slated for completion in June of 2022, a 365,000-sf residential facility will offer 572 units providing 704 beds for medical and nursing students, and a 1.2 million-sf parking garage will accommodate 3,444 cars.

The University of Warwick celebrated the opening of the £150 million National Automotive Innovation Campus in February of 2020. Located in Coventry in the United Kingdom, the four-story, 355,200-sf complex was created in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors, and the Warwick Manufacturing Group. Designed as a catalyst for economic and workforce development, the National Automotive Innovation Campus will accelerate the creation of sustainable mobility solutions such as electrified and autonomous vehicles.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratory (SEL) opened a $20 million R&D facility in February of 2020 in West Lafayette, Ind. Located in Purdue University's Discovery Park District, the three-story, 100,000-sf building offers leading-edge laboratory and support space for electric power research, development, and manufacturing.

As Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) experiences exponential growth of its online programs, it continues to invest in its physical campus, most notably in a new college of engineering. While the university is not looking to increase its on-campus enrollment, it is expanding its offerings on its Manchester, N.H., campus, with new facilities, an academic quad, two new residence halls, and a large greenspace. The centerpiece of this investment is the $45 million, 68,000-sf College of Engineering, Technology and Aeronautics (CETA), the first new academic building added to the Manchester campus in over a decade. The CETA building, which opened in January, is SNHU’s first new facility devoted to engineering technologies, and will help expand access to STEM education in the New England region.

Radford University opened the Artis College of Science and Technology in February of 2020 in Radford, Va. Designed and engineered by CannonDesign, the $34 million project included a complete renovation of Reed Hall and Curie Hall, as well as construction of the connecting Center for the Sciences, a two-story collaboration hub offering meeting rooms, a commons area, study spaces, and offices.

Kettering University broke ground on the $63 million Learning Commons in January of 2020 in Flint, Mich. Designed by Stantec as a vibrant laboratory for experiential learning, the four-story, 105,000-sf facility will provide a digital library, a 300-seat auditorium, maker spaces, conference rooms, media resource centers, dining amenities, and collaborative project studios where students can work with faculty and industry partners. Illuminated by natural light, the structure will feature flexible, technology-rich gathering areas with writable surfaces.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is planning to construct the $78.5 million Science and Engineering Complex. Designed by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, the 145,784-sf multidisciplinary facility will house interactive research labs, technology-rich classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and multiple collaboration rooms for team learning. The first phase of the project will create a $64.5 million, 115,000-sf structure accommodating the Department of Biology, the Department of Physics, and lab and support space for the Department of Chemistry.

Maker spaces, active learning labs, and multidisciplinary collaboration spaces have become essential elements for educational engineering facilities nationwide, as academic institutions respond to the demands of modern industry. In addition to providing the robust infrastructure and fabrication tools engineering students need to develop practical skills, another important element of these space types is an emphasis on teamwork, entrepreneurship, and commercial viability. This means positioning maker and capstone project spaces in close proximity to meeting rooms, support spaces, and team collaboration zones. High-profile maker spaces also serve to help institutions increase industry partnership opportunities as well as student and faculty recruitment.

The University of Maryland is constructing the $60 million E. A. Fernandez IDEA Factory in College Park. Supporting the Clark School of Engineering's mission to innovate, design, and engineer for America (IDEA), the five-story, 60,000-sf building will feature open student workspaces, prototyping suites, and studios for design and instruction. The multidisciplinary facility will physically connect to the Jeong H.

VEGA, a global manufacturer of process measurement technologies, will begin construction in early 2020 on a $50 million headquarters complex in Mason, Ohio. Sited on 50 acres, the 230,000-sf campus will include advanced manufacturing and production facilities, corporate offices, and a state-of-the-art business and training center. The project team includes BHDP Architecture and construction manager Messer Construction. Occupancy is expected in 2021.

Eli Lilly & Company is planning to build a $474 million pharmaceutical manufacturing center in Durham, N.C. Located in Research Triangle Park, the next-generation facility will produce injectable therapeutics and delivery devices for conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. Accommodating over 450 new employees, the project will provide integrated manufacturing, engineering, and warehouse areas. Operations will commence at the site in 2023.

Aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin opened its new headquarters and research facility in January of 2020 in Kent, Wash. Designed to accommodate approximately 1,500 employees, the 232,885-sf O'Neill Building provides open offices, R&D labs, conference rooms, a staff lounge and kitchen, and an expansive gathering space adjoining the lobby to encourage collaboration and interaction. Supporting the company's recent growth, the structure is sited on over 30 acres adjacent to Blue Origin's former headquarters, which has been renamed the Verne Building.

Southern New Hampshire University opened the 67,000-sf College of Engineering, Technology, and Aeronautics in January of 2020 in Manchester, N.H. Accommodating STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the three-story building provides flexible teaching labs, collaboration spaces, a drone flight area, a wind tunnel, a 3D printing lab, a wood shop, and suites for robotics, virtual reality, and materials science.

Pennsylvania State University is planning to build the $56.8 million Center for Innovation, Making and Learning in State College. The project will include the demolition of the existing James Building and construction of an 85,000-sf facility accommodating maker spaces, workshops, a virtual reality and immersive technology lab, lecture venues, and co-working and collaboration areas.

The University of Cincinnati is constructing the 180,000-sf Digital Futures Building in the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Designed by KieranTimberlake with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the interdisciplinary facility will provide applied research labs for the creation of innovative robotic, automotive, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies.