Research and Development

Northwestern University is continually working to grow and improve the quality of its research space inventory. A 2017 renovation and expansion of the Seeley G. Mudd Science and Engineering Library—situated in a prime location on the Evanston, Ill., campus—transformed a non-science building into a focal point of the university’s science complex. A desire to maximize research space within the constrained site resulted in a unique solution that leveraged both horizontal and vertical expansion.

BioMed Realty and the University of California, San Diego opened the $92 million Center for Novel Therapeutics in September of 2019. Located on the Science Research Park campus in San Diego, the 137,500-sf translational research facility enables investigators from the UCSD Moores Cancer Center to collaborate with pharmaceutical partners on the creation of innovative cancer treatments. The center also houses the city's first academic-industry drug discovery incubator.

Ball State University is constructing the $87.5 million Foundational Sciences Building in Muncie, Ind. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the 205,000-sf facility will provide 28 teaching labs, 44 research labs, six classrooms, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, faculty offices, computer labs, an imaging suite, and a research library. The five-story interdisciplinary building was designed by RATIO Architects to offer optimal flexibility and adaptability to accommodate changing programmatic needs.

The University of Warwick is planning to build the £54.3 million Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building in Coventry in the United Kingdom. Designed by Hawkins\Brown, the 75,000-sf facility will include flexible open labs for up to 300 researchers, a 400-seat lecture hall, a café, a large public entrance, and exhibition space. The five-story building will offer a central ‘lab village’ core, with offices and collaboration zones located on the perimeter to activate the façade.

Lafayette College opened the $75 million Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center in August of 2019 in Easton, Pa. Designed by Payette to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the 103,000-sf facility houses the departments of biology, computer science, and environmental studies and science, as well as accommodating programs in neuroscience and engineering.

Pfizer is initiating a $500 million expansion of its Sanford campus with the construction of a 100,000-sf gene therapy facility. Supporting the creation of innovative treatments for genetic diseases, the project will feature advance manufacturing technologies for clinical and commercial-scale production of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors. Accommodating 300 new employees, the facility will complement operations at the existing 628,000-sf Sanford complex and at the company's Chapel Hill and Kit Creek locations.

Changing needs for vivariums have presented facilities managers with an array of challenges: creating more space for housing research animals within existing facilities; ensuring that the environments in which animals are kept meet guidelines set by scientific research agencies and organizations; and ensuring the spaces in which researchers conduct their experiments host well-run vivariums that contribute to, rather than inhibit, the ability to reproduce their results. Manufacturers are responding to these needs with more space-efficient caging systems, more precise and cost-effective environmental controls for animal holding rooms, and technology that can automatically track the health of animals in cages.

The University of Lethbridge opened the CAD$280 million Science Commons in September of 2019 in Lethbridge, Alberta. Collocating the departments of biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and physics and astronomy, the transdisciplinary building provides flexible teaching and research labs, academic classrooms, meeting rooms, gathering areas, and a central atrium. Designed by Stantec and KPMB, the 387,500-sf facility includes a community education venue with interactive science displays.

The Air Force Research Laboratory will break ground in fall of 2019 on the $12 million Open Innovation Campus in Rome, N.Y. Located at Griffiss International Airport, the facility is being constructed in partnership with SUNY Polytechnic Institute, The Griffiss Institute, and Oneida County. The project includes the renovation of a three-story, 40,000-sf building to create leading-edge research space for the study of artificial intelligence and quantum information science.

Raytheon is planning to build a 200,000-sf advanced manufacturing facility in McKinney, Texas. Supporting Raytheon's Space and Airborne Systems division, the center will act as a 'factory of the future' for the production of sensors, high-energy lasers, electro-optical devices, and surveillance and reconnaissance systems. Completion is expected in late 2020. Raytheon is a technology and innovation company specializing in defense, civil government, and cybersecurity solutions.

Tarleton State University opened the $54 million Engineering Building in August of 2019 in Stephenville, Texas. Designed by Stantec, the 97,000-sf facility provides classrooms, labs, active learning rooms, and offices to support programs in computer science, engineering, and engineering technology. Featuring specialized spaces for robotics, prototyping, fluid dynamics, and materials testing, the three-story building includes a capstone workroom, a wind tunnel, a flume, and high-bay labs.

Amgen broke ground in late July of 2019 on a $200 million biomanufacturing center in West Greenwich, R.I. Featuring a highly flexible, modular design, the next-generation facility will leverage advanced technologies to reduce operational expenses, consume 80 percent less energy and water, and achieve a 75 percent decrease in carbon emissions.

The University of Colorado Boulder opened the $101 million Aerospace Engineering Sciences Building in August of 2019. Designed by HCM (Hord Coplan Macht) and RATIO Architects, the collaborative 178,294-sf facility provides bioastronautics labs, high bay spaces, workshops, fabrication suites, interactive classrooms, faculty offices, a 200-seat auditorium, and an indoor flight environment for unmanned aircraft.

DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and Leggat McCall Properties are building a Class-A laboratory building in Somerville, Mass. The nine-story, 289,000-sf facility will provide leading-edge research and office space for life sciences and technology companies. The mixed-use development will include dedicated retail space on the ground floor and four levels of underground parking.

Augusta University broke ground in August of 2019 on the $70 million College of Science and Mathematics in Augusta, Ga. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 125,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, offices, conference rooms, breakout spaces, student gathering and study areas, and a tutorial center. The interdisciplinary building is strategically sited on Augusta's Health Sciences Campus to provide opportunities for undergraduate research and promote collaboration.