Research and Development

Purdue University is building the $64 million Chaney-Hale Hall of Science in West Lafayette, Ind. Accommodating STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the collaborative 111,000-sf facility will provide 33 multidisciplinary laboratory classrooms for courses in general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, general biology, microbiology, cellular and molecular biology, and anatomy and physiology. Undergraduate science teaching labs will be collocated, launching novel opportunities for new, integrated curricula.

ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, has created an epidemic task force to respond to the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and provide guidance on how to ensure that buildings are prepared for current and future epidemics. The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force has been established to deploy ASHRAE’s technical resources to address the impact of HVAC systems on disease transmission in healthcare facilities, workplaces, homes, public spaces, and recreational environments.

New York University is renovating two adjacent historic structures on its Greenwich Village campus to create a new home for the School of Global Public Health. Designed by Kliment Halsband Architects, the collaborative 147,000-sf facility will accommodate laboratories for multiple research groups. Flexible open workstations and glass-walled offices will provide optimal access to natural light and views.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is constructing an $800 million manufacturing campus in East Greenbush, N.Y. The complex is now in the third and final phase of development, which includes an $188 million, 346,000-sf production facility; a 240,000-sf lab and office building; and a six-story, 1,050-space parking garage. BBL Construction Services is managing the project with completion expected by 2022.

Pacific Northwest National Lab began construction in March of 2020 on a $90 million energy sciences research building in Richland, Wash. Designed by Kirksey Architecture, the collaborative 140,000-sf facility will enable academic, industry, and government investigators to create new energy and transportation technologies. Supporting fundamental research in chemistry, materials science, and computing, the building will include advanced instrumentation suites housing next-generation imaging and microscopy devices.

The University of Lincoln broke ground in March of 2020 on the Centre of Excellence in Agri-Food Technology in the United Kingdom. Supporting the development of new technologies and resources for the region's agribusiness sector, the building will provide microbiology and chemistry labs, a sophisticated test kitchen and sensory suite, seminar rooms, and collaboration spaces. Willmott Dixon was awarded the £7 million construction contract for the innovation center, which will accommodate a community of leading industrial scientists and their support teams.

The University of Arkansas is planning to build the $26.5 million Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation in Fayetteville. Designed by Grafton Architects in collaboration with Modus Studio, the project will provide the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design with approximately 50,000 sf of applied research and education space to accelerate the creation of innovative timber and wood construction modalities.

Crocker Partners is engaged in a $90 million redevelopment of a former IBM site to create the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) in Florida. Designed to foster employee engagement and collaboration, the 1.7 million-sf complex will provide Class A office space for life science and technology companies. Sited on 123 acres, the facility will include a conference center with robust audiovisual infrastructure, a business center, a 7,000-sf fitness center, a yoga studio, a catering kitchen, and a 1,200-seat multipurpose dining hall.

A $2.2 trillion stimulus package will support the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) will be available to the agencies through September of 2024. The CDC will receive $4.3 billion in new funding, which includes $1.5 billion for joint initiatives with state and local governments. The NIH has been allocated $945.4 million, which will be directed to:

The University of South Florida broke ground on a $42 million innovation center in Tampa in March of 2020. Located in the USF Research Park, the 120,000-sf facility will provide researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry partners with leasable laboratory, office, and meeting facilities. Designed by Gensler, the three-story building will act as a catalyst for regional economic growth through the creation and commercialization of new technologies.

Westminster College is engaged in a $11.2 million expansion of the Hoyt Science Center in New Wilmington, Pa. Designed by BHDP Architecture, the 27,000-sf addition will provide six teaching labs, three research labs, ten faculty offices, and student collaboration spaces. The three-story wing will house the school's growing STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as the Center for the Environment. Ground was broken on the project in September of 2019 and occupancy is expected by summer of 2021.

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is building a £22 million nuclear fusion research facility in Rotherham. Supporting the creation of advanced joining materials and components, the 26,900-sf structure will feature specialized testing suites that simulate the conditions inside a fusion reactor. The center is being constructed in the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) to promote collaboration with the adjacent Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.

The University of Technology Sydney is constructing the Science Research Building in New South Wales, Australia. Designed by H2o Architects, the integrated seven-story facility will provide flexible research labs for the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology. Enabling collaborative discovery and development with industry partners, the interdisciplinary structure will feature specialized spaces for advanced analytics, chemical synthesis, phenomics, and translational medicine.

Georgia State University is planning to construct an $84 million research building in Atlanta for the study of global infectious diseases. Designed by HOK, the 84,100-sf biocontainment facility will provide BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs, a vivarium, collaborative open research areas, offices, and support space. A design-bid-build contractor is being sought for the project, which has an estimated construction cost of $66 million. The structure represents the third phase of development at the university's Science Park and is slated for completion in 2022.

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