Tulane University opened the Steven and Jann Paul Hall for Science and Engineering in January of 2024 in New Orleans. Designed by Payette and Waggonner & Ball, the 76,000-sf building offers flexible research venues, sophisticated classrooms, and common spaces for increased student and faculty interaction.
Michigan State University’s first new instructional building in 50 years incorporates the disparate elements of a long-mothballed power plant, modular infrastructure, and mass timber. The facility on the East Lansing campus consolidates MSU’s large core undergraduate STEM courses under one roof, with both wet and dry teaching labs, classrooms, and student support space.
Washington University in St. Louis opened the $616 million Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building in January of 2024. Designed by Perkins&Will and CannonDesign, the 608,825-sf facility provides interactive lab neighborhoods where up to 120 teams can engage in collaborative discovery. An 11-story, 584,050-sf research tower is capable of accommodating up to 1,000 investigators from the departments of neurology, neuroscience, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and anesthesiology.
The University of Nebraska is constructing the $95 million Kristensen Rural Health Education Building on its Kearney campus. Created in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the 114,000-gsf facility will accommodate programs in medicine, nursing, and allied health, as well as offering professional development, training, and continuing education opportunities.
Marshall University opened the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation in January of 2024 in Huntington. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the 77,000-gsf facility provides the Lewis College of Business with state-of-the-art finance and computer labs, a maker space, offices, study areas, and a 360-seat auditorium. Technology-enabled classrooms that range in size from 32 to 96 seats are furnished with flip-top nesting desks on wheels for optimal flexibility.
Utah Tech University is constructing the $70.5 million General Classroom Building in St. George to provide next-generation learning environments for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Designed by Method Studio, the 120,091-sf facility will accommodate programs in psychology, applied sociology, criminal justice, English, philosophy, history, political science, and communication and media studies. This vibrant academic hub will offer 53 instructional venues including lecture halls, classrooms, and labs, as well as 26 student collaboration spaces.
The University of Central Florida broke ground in January of 2024 on a new home for the College of Nursing at Lake Nona Medical City in Orlando. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross and HuntonBrady, the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion will address a statewide shortage of healthcare professionals by enabling the university to graduate an additional 150 nurses each year. The $68 million development will provide classrooms, flexible instructional venues, wet and dry labs, offices, and study zones.
Trammell Crow Company is developing Science Square in Atlanta to provide Georgia Tech with state-of-the-art facilities for learning, research, and innovation. Ground was broken in September of 2023 on the third phase of construction at the site, a 416,500-sf complex with two towers linked by a shared circulation core. Envisioned as a vertical quad, this dynamic social zone will offer myriad collaboration venues with a large gathering area for presentations and events.
The University of California, Riverside is constructing a vibrant new home for the School of Business. Created by the design-build team of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners and McCarthy Building Companies, the $87 million facility will centralize academic activities currently dispersed across campus while accommodating significant programmatic growth.
The University of Colorado Boulder saved a mid-century building from demolition by refurbishing it -- and funding it -- in stages. They continued to use the building as the students and faculty decided the best use for each space, overcoming issues of low floor-to-floor heights, inadequate mechanical systems, and asbestos.
The Medical University of South Carolina broke ground in December of 2023 on a $50 million facility for the College of Health Professions in Charleston. Designed by Clark Nexsen and SMHa, the 90,000-sf project will offer leading-edge environments for teaching, research, collaboration, and innovation.
Wexford Science + Technology will break ground in mid-2024 on Brightwork, the anchor building for the University of Washington’s planned innovation district in Seattle. The 345,000-sf facility will be constructed by Wexford for an estimated cost of $282.5 million, with UW investing $72 million for tenant improvements. After an 80-year lease, the 11-story structure will revert to university ownership.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln opened the $115 million Kiewit Hall in January of 2024. Designed by Clark & Enersen and Ballinger, the 181,500-gsf facility provides leading-edge environments for undergraduate education programs in engineering and construction management. The Garage, a 20,300-sf maker space, includes a high bay space, 3D printers, laser cutters, a CNC machine, a paint booth, and shops for working with wood, metal, and electrical components.
The University of Virginia broke ground on the $350 million Paul and Diane Manning Institute for Biotechnology in December of 2023. Located in the Fontaine Research Park in Charlottesville, the 350,000-sf project will drive innovation in the fields of cellular therapy, gene therapy, nanotechnology, and drug delivery. By collocating state-of-the-art labs and core facilities with advanced manufacturing suites and clinical environments, the four-story building will accelerate the translation of medical discoveries into new solutions for patient care.
Brown University is planning to construct the 300,000-sf Integrated Life Sciences Building (ILSB) in Providence’s Jewelry District. Designed by TenBerke and Ballinger, the seven-story facility will provide six levels of wet and dry laboratories for research programs in biology, medicine, neuroscience, bioengineering, and public health. A publicly accessible ground floor will offer a forum, a gallery, and a café, with a pedestrian thoroughfare for enhanced access to nearby buildings.
