Research and Development

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering has announced the winners of the 2019 Facility of the Year Awards.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst opened the $101 million Physical Sciences Building in April of 2019. Designed by Wilson HGA, the 95,000-sf facility can accommodate 20 faculty-led research groups with a total of 130 reconfigurable bench positions. Supporting scientific discovery in organic chemistry, materials science, and condensed matter physics, the building provides open research labs, extensive core support labs, offices, and collaboration areas.

ONE Life Sciences is planning to construct the £40 million Bio-Therapeutics Hub for Innovation in Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. Located on the Foresterhill Health Campus, the 69,000-sf facility will provide business incubation space, leasable labs and offices for established companies, collaboration areas, conference rooms, and venues for events and colloquia.

The University of Toronto is planning to create Canada's largest university-based innovation node with the construction of the 750,000-sf Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre. Funded in part by a $100 million donation, the interdisciplinary center will feature vertical gardens, soaring atria, and integrated collaboration areas, as well as offering leasable space for startup companies.

Old Dominion University began construction in February of 2019 on a $75.6 million chemistry building in Norfolk, Va. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the four-story, 110,000-sf facility will feature 1,800-sf laboratories as a strategic recruitment tool to attract new researchers. Designed with abundant external glazing to put science on display, the building will offer classrooms, teaching and research labs, active learning environments, tutoring rooms, faculty offices, and a high-field robotic NMR suite.

IBM is partnering with SUNY Polytechnic Institute to create the AI Hardware Center in Marcy, N.Y. The project is one component of IBM's $30 million investment in the State University of New York system to support artificial intelligence-focused computer chip research, development, prototyping, testing, and simulation. SUNY will provide up to $25 million in matching funds for a combined total of $55 million.

Cal Poly will break ground in May of 2019 on the $125 million William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The four-story, 100,000-sf facility represents a collaboration between the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Science and Mathematics.

A focused and comprehensive programming process was the cornerstone of planning for a new 380,000-sf, seven-story research building at the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada. The building is part of CAMH’s multi-year, multi-phase redevelopment project, which includes construction of new inpatient and outpatient facilities, an emergency department, administrative facilities, and a new research building.

BASF opened a 54,000-sf facility at Innovation Campus Shanghai in March of 2019. The $28 million project houses the Automotive Application Center which features a 3D robotic simulator, a state-of-the-art spray booth for electrostatic applications, and a physical testing lab. The sustainably designed structure also accommodates the Process Catalysis Research & Development Center which offers highly specialized testing units for evaluating solid catalyst performance as well as advanced facilities for solids processing.

Virginia Commonwealth University opened the $87 million College of Health Professions in March of 2019 in Richmond. Designed by EYP Architecture and Engineering, the eight-story, 154,000-gsf facility unites nine departments in a sustainably designed structure that is expected to attain LEED Silver certification.

Weber State University is planning to construct the $58 million Noorda Building for Engineering, Applied Science & Technology in Ogden, Utah. Designed by VCBO Architecture, the 143,000-sf facility will house the departments of computer science, engineering technology, professional sales, and electrical, mechanical, and systems engineering. Additionally, four centers will be housed in the collaborative building: the Concept Center, the Center for Technology Outreach, the National Center for Automotive Science & Technology, and the Alan E.

Bluebird Bio opened a 125,000-sf gene and cell therapy manufacturing facility in March of 2019 in Durham, N.C. Representing an $80 million investment, the project is bluebird's first wholly owned facility and will support the production of lentiviral vector for clinical and commercial applications. The building, which is now substantially complete and undergoing equipment commissioning, provides multiple manufacturing suites, quality-control testing labs, and warehouse space.

Kent State University will begin construction in April of 2019 on the $50 million Design Innovation Hub in Kent, Ohio. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 68,000-sf project will feature two maker spaces, one housing 3D printing, laser cutting, and digital tool technologies, with a wood and metal shop offering space for prototyping and model building.

Auburn University will break ground in spring of 2019 on the $83 million Advanced Classroom and Laboratory Complex (ACLC) in Auburn, Ala. The 151,000-sf facility will provide five lecture halls housing between 100 and 300 seats each, six Engaged Active Student Learning (EASL) rooms, and 20 instructional spaces that can function as classrooms or labs to meet changing programmatic needs. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will be built by Rabren General Contractors. Completion is expected in summer of 2021.

Inova Health System will open the 342,000-sf Schar Cancer Institute in May of 2019 in Fairfax, Va. Designed by Wilmot Sanz to provide comprehensive cancer care services in a single location, the patient-centric facility offers 124 exam rooms, 54 infusion chairs, diagnostic suites, advanced radiation therapy modalities, and a genetic counseling clinic.