Engineering

Construction began in May of 2024 on Heathcock Hall, a new 81,700-gsf interdisciplinary research and education building for UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry. Accommodating programs in synthetic chemistry, physical chemistry, and chemical and biomolecular engineering, the structure will house six stories of research labs, support space, offices, and collaboration venues for investigators, faculty, and students. Heathcock Hall will be connected to two adjacent buildings—Latimer and Lewis halls—which also house chemistry labs.

Siemens Healthineers—a spinoff of Siemens that focuses exclusively on healthcare equipment, solutions, and services—has begun construction on a £250 million ($314 million) facility in the United Kingdom to research and manufacture a breakthrough sustainable design for MRI superconducting magnets that reduces the need for helium from 1,500 liters (more than 396 gallons) to a single liter (just over a quart). 

Texas A&M-Texarkana is planning to break ground in late May of 2024 on the Business, Engineering, and Technology Building (BET), a 53,500-sf facility housing those three interdisciplinary programs. The $45 million project also includes a renovation of the Science and Technology Building, which will connect to the new facility with walkways on the second and third floors.

Savannah River National Laboratory is constructing the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC) on the campus of the University of South Carolina Aiken. Designed by Page and STOA Architects, the $50 million facility will enable the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management to engage in shared discovery with academic institutions, industry partners, and government agencies at the city, state, and federal level.

Wexford Science + Technology is constructing the $1.2 billion Aggie Square on the Sacramento campus of the University of California, Davis. Designed by ZGF Architects, the innovation district is being developed in association with GMH Capital Partners. The 8.25-acre site will feature an expansive plaza framed by three glass-clad structures providing between 230,000 sf and 310,000 sf each.

Michigan Tech opened the H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex in Houghton in March of 2024. HED designed the collaborative facility to drive academic excellence in health-related fields and accelerate the creation of human-centered technological innovations. Positioned in the heart of campus, the development collocates researchers in materials science, engineering, and neuroscience with faculty from kinesiology and integrative physiology.

The University of Colorado opened the $22 million Anschutz Engineering Center on its Colorado Springs campus in April of 2024. Designed by OZ Architecture, the three-story, 23,000-sf annex provides the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences with teaching and research labs, maker spaces, and active learning environments. The high-performance facility also includes an aerospace engineering lab, an executive conference room, computer labs, classrooms, and faculty offices.

Siemens AG opened an innovation complex in April of 2024 that will consolidate its corporate research activities in Germany. The 140,000-sf facility was created in partnership with Technical University of Munich and is strategically sited in the institution’s science park. Siemens Technology Center Garching supports 450 engineers working in collaboration with 150 academic investigators to advance industrial artificial intelligence and data analytics. State-of-the-art labs are complemented by modern workspaces, conference rooms, and training areas.

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 designed by laboratory planner RFD.

Case Western Reserve University will break ground in October of 2024 on the $300 million Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB) in Cleveland. Designed by HGA and Van Auken Akins Architects, the 189,000-sf facility will bring together investigators from the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences in a dynamic hub for innovation.

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.