Higher Education

More and more universities are building their scientific research centers around cores of huge, heavy, yet surprisingly delicate equipment. Building a core laboratory facility forces architects and campus planners to think about logistics, timing, and backup systems to a level of detail probably more familiar to NASA engineers than institutional architects. As the team behind Emory University’s new Health Sciences Research Building II (HSRB-II) learned, a huge range of factors—in their case, everything from the amount of rebar in the flooring to the width of the corridors to shipping velocity on the Suez Canal—must be reckoned with before such a facility is completed.

The University of North Dakota broke ground in September of 2025 on the STEM Complex in Grand Forks. Designed by Clark & Enersen and EAPC Architects Engineers, the $163 million facility aims to redefine education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the state and beyond. This dynamic ecosystem will foster corporate engagement while accelerating discovery in fields such as transportation, artificial intelligence, and advanced materials.

The University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering opened the Student Success & Research Building in September of 2025 in Kentucky. The 114,000-sf facility was designed by SmithGroup and Luckett & Farley to offer a maker space, modern classrooms, laboratories, conference rooms, and teamwork areas.

Tuskegee University broke ground in September of 2025 on an expansion to the College of Veterinary Medicine in Tuskegee, Ala. Designed by Flad Architects, the pioneering development will greatly expand the institution’s clinical capabilities and consolidate critical support services to a single site, increasing efficiency and ensuring the delivery of the highest level of care.

Columbia University’s acting president, Claire Shipman, has announced plans to visit Washington, D.C., to discuss possible models for changes to indirect cost recovery rates. In February of 2025, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that allocations for costs that maintain the infrastructure and administrative support for federally funded research would be capped at 15 percent, whereas previous policies allowed higher education institutions to negotiate agreements individually. 

Western Kentucky University officially opened a $99.4 million facility for the Gordon Ford College of Business in September of 2025 in Bowling Green, Ky. Representing a key component of the institution’s campus master plan, Amy and David Chandler Hall will drive academic innovation and support ongoing enrollment growth in the department.

In preparation for Generation Alpha's in the higher education environment in three years, Stantec is unveiling valuable insights for architects and interior designers on these cohorts’ expectations for the facilities they will live and learn in. Gen Alpha, or those born between 2010 and 2024, are the first to have grown up in the digital age since birth. They are characterized by their global connectivity, awareness of diversity, and preference for a personalized and flexible experience on campus. 

Mass timber construction is widely lauded for its sustainability benefits, including wood’s natural carbon sequestration, lower embodied energy footprint, lighter weight compared to steel or concrete, and essential renewability. But does it pay off in terms of a university’s performance standards and cost concerns when embarking on a project as ambitious as Oregon State University’s Jen-Hsun and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, a $213 million, 143,000-sf facility dedicated to advanced programs in artificial intelligence, robotics, energy, and materials science? Scott Ashford, OSU’s dean of the College of Engineering, and Libby Ramirez, the university’s resident architect, argue that with careful strategy and an eye toward the data, the answer is “yes.”

Texas A&M University broke ground in October of 2025 on a $250 million facility in College Station for programs in hospitality, retail, and food and nutrition sciences. Designed by DLR Group and Pickard Chilton, the Aplin Center will serve as a welcoming campus gateway and a national model for experiential learning.

The College of Eastern Idaho is constructing the Future Tech building on the Idaho Falls campus. The $50 million facility will leverage connections with the region’s institutional and industry leaders to realize advances in energy resources, sustainability practices, and technological applications, while providing hands-on training to address growing workforce demands in those fields.

Claremont McKenna College opened the Robert Day Sciences Center in September of 2025 in Claremont, Calif. As the home for the new Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences, the 135,000-sf facility enables a transformative pedagogy organized around three overlapping foci: health, brain, and planet. The three-story structure supports a research-centered, solutions-driven curriculum, creating experiential learning opportunities for students and emphasizing the applications of artificial intelligence to real-world challenges.

The University of Pittsburgh is constructing the state-of-the-art BioForge center in the Hazelwood Green development, a brownfield site site that once accommodated a steel mill. Designed by HOK, the $250 million hub will drive breakthroughs and innovations in the manufacturing of precision biological medicines to improve human health. The 185,000-sf building will fill a critical gap in the local biotechnology ecosystem by addressing production constraints and cost-based obstacles to the wide distribution and accessibility of novel treatments.

California State University, Northridge opened the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center in August of 2025 in Los Angeles. Designed by AC Martin with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory consultant, the $62.7 million facility accommodates programs for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, including six flexible discovery environments.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville broke ground in September of 2025 on a state-of-the-art facility for chemistry education and training. Designed by BarberMcMurry Architects and Lord Aeck Sargent, the $199 million building will prepare the workforce of the future for the growing chemical industry in the state and beyond. The eight-story structure will span 162,000 sf, accommodating two 50-seat lecture halls, 30 research laboratories, and a 50-seat study room. 

The College of Western Idaho opened two new facilities in August of 2025 in Nampa. Fostering collaboration, the 60,000-sf health and science building consolidates growing programs for future registered and practical nurses, surgical technologists, dental assistants, and medical assistants. The three-story structure accommodates specialized skills labs, simulation suites, and three advanced laboratories for work in biology, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology. Group study venues are complemented by focus and reflection rooms, a student commons, and a café.