Research and Development

Flexibility is the key to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, long regarded as a prime example of successful industry/academic spaces, where 190 graduate students in the media arts and sciences pursue degrees and engage in a wide research agenda. The Lab occupies 163,000 gsf across two buildings: part of the Weisner building, which opened in 1985, and a six-story addition completed in 2009, a decade after design began. The majority of the Lab’s $80 million operating budget is supported through a corporate membership model.

Florida Gulf Coast University broke ground in November of 2019 on a $59.9 million building for The Water School in Fort Myers. Designed by RG Architects and HuntonBrady, the four-story, 117,000-sf facility will provide 58,000 sf of research labs, 15,000 sf of teaching labs, and 23,400 sf of classrooms. The project will be the largest academic structure on FGCU's campus and will support interdisciplinary environmental sciences programs focused on water quality, policy, and management.

Amazon is planning to construct a $40 million robotics innovation hub in Westborough, Mass. The 350,000-sf facility will enable teams of researchers, engineers, and technicians to design, build, program, and test robots, including self-driving units for order fulfillment and warehouse management. The project will house R&D labs, manufacturing space, corporate offices, and a distribution center. Completion is expected in 2021.

Stanford University opened a $256 million biomedical research complex in November of 2019 in Stanford, Calif. Designed by Ennead Architects, the four-story, 235,000-sf project includes the Stanford ChEM-H (Chemistry, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health) Building and the Stanford Neurosciences Building, which houses the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is constructing the Operations Support Building in Huntsville, Ala. Aided by $385 million in FY2019 funding, the facility is part of a $1 billion project to create the FBI’s HQ2 campus at the Redstone Arsenal. Enabling the relocation of approximately 4,000 employees from other locations, the six-building complex will support the bureau's cybercrime research and response operations. Three of the planned facilities, including the Operations Support Building, are currently under construction.

Georgia Institute of Technology dedicated the $30 million Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design in October of 2019 in Atlanta. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent & The Miller Hull Partnership, the 47,000-sf facility provides two 64-person classrooms, a maker space, four class labs, a conference room, offices, and a 176-person auditorium.

Auburn University broke ground in November of 2019 on the $22 million Advanced Structural Testing Laboratory in Auburn, Ala. Designed by Chambless King Architects, the 41,500-sf building will provide the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering with a wind testing facility, a concrete materials research lab, a 4,700-cubic-foot geotechnical test chamber, and a high-bay lab with floors and walls capable of handling extreme structural testing loads.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley broke ground in November of 2019 on the $30 million Institute for Neuroscience in Harlingen. Designed by Muñoz & Co. Architects, the 32,570-sf translational research facility will provide integrated laboratory, diagnostic, and clinical spaces where doctors and scientists can collaboratively develop innovative therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders.

North Carolina A&T State University is constructing the $90 million Engineering Research & Innovation Center in Greensboro. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering to promote experiential learning, the 130,000-sf teaching and research building will accommodate programs including cybersecurity, energy science, and health technology.

The U.S. Department of Transportation broke ground in late October of 2019 on the 400,000-sf John A. Volpe Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the project involves the construction of a $750 million transportation research facility sited on four acres, which will be funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The remaining ten acres currently occupied by the Department of Transportation will be released to the university for mixed-use development.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory opened the Center for Therapeutic Research in late October of 2019 in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Designed by Centerbrook Architects and Planners, the $75 million project involved the renovation and expansion of the existing Demerec Laboratory to create a 26,000-sf biomedical facility for the creation of advanced therapies for genetic diseases including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and autism.

Bradley University opened the first phase of the Business and Engineering Convergence Center in October of 2019 in Peoria, Ill. Designed by Dewberry with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the $100 million building provides interactive teaching and research facilities for the Foster College of Business, the Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology, and the Institute for Innovation through Collaboration.

WuXi Biologics is planning to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Dundalk, Ireland. A three-story, 110,600-sf vaccine production plant will leverage single-use technologies and processes to optimize efficiency and scalability. A four-story, 62,000-sf facility housing laboratories and administrative offices will also be constructed. The project represents the second phase of development at the site, where WuXi is currently building a $365 million, 522,000-sf manufacturing center that will begin commercial operation in 2022.

Rochester Institute of Technology is constructing the Global Cybersecurity Institute in Rochester, N.Y. Designed by LaBella Associates, the 45,000-sf facility will provide technology-rich teaching, research, and administrative space for the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. The three-story building will feature a state-of-the-art cyber range, a cybersecurity learning center, a security operations hub, and an air-gapped computer lab for malware analysis.

The University of California, San Diego broke ground on the $41 million Design and Innovation Building in October of 2019. Accommodating entrepreneurial activities currently distributed across campus, the 74,000-sf facility will act as a hub for collaborative discovery as well as providing a new campus entrance from the light rail transit station. Designed by EHDD to offer transparent views of the activities occurring within, the multipurpose building will house maker spaces, workshops, a business incubator, general assignment classrooms, and a restaurant.