Higher Education

The term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (4IR) was coined in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, to describe the exponential transformation society and commerce are experiencing due to converging breakthroughs in numerous fields, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, the internet of things (IoT), and quantum computing. While this latest advancement is to some degree an extension of the third revolution (aka: The Digital Revolution), 4IR is considered a new era because of the unprecedented speed, scope, and systems impact of the coming changes. It is evolving at an exponential rate rather than a linear one and is expected to disrupt entire systems of production, management, transportation, and governance on a global scale. In response, a new breed of interdisciplinary research facility is emerging, as academic institutions try to anticipate training students for the unforeseen demands of the 4IR.

Purdue University will begin construction in spring of 2020 on the $140 million Gateway Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. Designed by BSA LifeStructures and Ennead Architects, the multidisciplinary project will provide instructional labs, design studios, collaboration spaces, and active learning environments for the College of Engineering and the Purdue Polytechnic Institute.

The University of Manitoba opened the $44.5 million Smartpark Innovation Hub in Winnipeg in June of 2019. Designed by Cibinel Architecture to foster collaborative partnerships between industry, academia, and government, the 75,000-sf facility provides laboratories, prototyping suites, multimedia training classrooms, conference rooms, a business incubator, and rentable space for companies.

The University of Windsor celebrated the opening of the CAD$30 million Essex Centre of Research (CORe) in June of 2019 in Windsor, Ontario. Designed by NORR and Hariri Pontarini Architects, the 46,000-sf facility was constructed as an addition to Essex Hall and provides collaborative wet and dry laboratories for the study of advanced materials, transitional health, and medical physics.

Texas A&M University opened the $104 million Medical Research and Education Building II (MREB II) in June of 2019 in Bryan, Texas. Designed by Flad Architects and OMNIPLAN, the 155,077-sf project comprises a 48,200-sf vertical expansion to the existing Medical Research and Education Building (MREB I) and a 122,800-sf addition, enabling the College of Medicine's basic science departments to be collocated in a single campus.

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the first quarter of 2019. Key points include:

Southwestern College dedicated the $85.6 million Math and Science Building in June of 2019 in Chula Vista, Calif. Designed by Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects to put science on display, the 132,708-gsf (99,747-nsf) facility features dedicated spaces for the school's new fermentation and drone science programs, as well as providing three large lecture halls, 15 laboratory classrooms, 19 standard classrooms, computer labs, study areas, administrative and faculty offices, collaboration areas, and a maker suite with a 3D printer.

The University of Missouri System broke ground on the $221 million NextGen Precision Health Institute in June of 2019. Located at the University of Missouri-Columbia, the five-story, 265,000-sf translational research facility will accommodate over 60 principal investigators working in collaboration with industry partners to develop innovative personalized medicine solutions.

The University of California, San Francisco opened the $275 million Precision Cancer Medicine Building (PCMB) in June of 2019. Located on UCSF's Mission Bay campus, the six-story facility consolidates outpatient services in a 170,000-sf structure with integrated cancer research labs, 63,000 sf of clinical space, 45 infusion bays, two accelerator vaults, and sophisticated imaging and diagnostic suites.

Drexel University and Tower Health broke ground in June of 2019 on the 150,000-sf Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health in Wyomissing, Pa. The four-year regional campus will offer advanced simulation training suites, traditional classrooms, flexible learning environments, lecture halls, anatomy labs, and an information commons. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the facility will support optimal student health and wellbeing with a fitness center, indoor and outdoor recreation areas, lounges, a game room, and a café.

The Harvard Allston Land Company (HALC) issued a request for proposals in June of 2019 for the development of a 14-acre parcel in Boston. HALC, the entity responsible for Harvard University's planned Enterprise Research Campus, is seeking a single partner with an integrated team of architects, engineers, construction managers, government-relations personnel, and financiers for the project. Uses planned for the area and approved by Boston’s development authority include:

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is fostering the seamless integration of instruction and research by blurring the boundaries between disciplines and spaces in its new STEM Complex. The open, transparent approach puts science and engineering on display, enables students and faculty to easily transition from one type of work to another, and provides ongoing opportunities for collaboration among the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as other disciplines across campus. The complex, situated at the heart of the campus and anchored by the 89,000-sf STEM Building, is a multi-phase construction and renovation project. It supports the college’s vision of addressing increasing enrollment in the STEM disciplines, and providing a learning environment that prepares graduates to be knowledgeable, successful employees in a competitive job market. 

Butler University will begin construction in summer of 2019 on a $100 million renovation and expansion project to upgrade its science facilities in Indianapolis. The first phase of construction comprises a connecting structure joining the Holcomb building to Gallahue Hall.

Northwestern University opened the $560 million Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center in Chicago in June of 2019. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 12-story, 625,000-sf facility provides the Feinberg School of Medicine with integrated laboratory neighborhoods for the study of cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Boston College will begin construction in fall of 2019 on the $150 million Integrated Science Building in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Designed by Payette, the five-story, 156,500-sf facility will house the school’s new engineering and computer science departments as well as accommodating the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.