Research and Development

Rubius Therapeutics began construction in October of 2018 on a $155 million pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Smithfield, R.I. The project includes renovation of an existing 135,000-sf building to create a leading-edge facility for the manufacture of the company's Red Cell Therapeutics product line which includes treatments for cancer and other diseases. The structure, which was formerly owned and occupied by Alexion, will accommodate 160 new employees. 

Mayo Clinic is planning a $648 million expansion of its Phoenix medical facilities. The Arizona Forward Project will add 1.4 million square feet to the existing 1.7 million-sf campus, increasing the number of inpatient beds from 280 to 374. A six-story patient tower will be constructed offering an outpatient surgery center, clinical offices, inpatient rooms, and rehabilitation space. The emergency department will be housed in a new three-story structure that will also accommodate laboratory medicine, radiology, and pharmacy.

The University of Iowa broke ground in October of 2018 on the $33 million Psychological and Brain Sciences Building in Iowa City. Acting as a gateway to the east side of campus, the six-story, 64,000-sf teaching and research building will offer technology-rich classrooms and labs, administrative offices, conference rooms, and breakout spaces. The collaborative facility will feature a learning commons and an interior plaza illuminated by natural light. Completion is expected in 2019.

The University of Texas at Arlington opened the $125 million Science & Engineering Innovation & Research Building (SEIR) in September of 2018. Designed by ZGF Architects and Page Southerland Page to accommodate interdisciplinary biomedical research, the six-story, 229,000-sf facility includes a two-story classroom wing, a four-story research wing, and a basement laboratory level with vibration-mitigated instrumentation suites.

Blue Origin will break ground in late 2018 on a $200 million manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Ala. Located in the Cummings Research Park, the project will produce the BE-V engine, a critical component of the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. This technology will enable the United States to have independent access to the International Space Station. The 200,000-sf facility will accommodate up to 342 employees. Other tenants of the Cummings Research Park include NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, and Radiance Technologies.

Brigham Young University opened an $80 million facility for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering in September of 2018 in Provo, Utah. Designed by VCBO Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory programming  and design consultant, the five-story, 200,000-sf facility features a dedicated laboratory annex, a student innovation floor, and a prototyping shop.

ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, began construction in September of 2018 on a biosystems science facility in Basel. Designed by Nickl & Partner Architekten, the nine-story, 400,000-sf facility will provide cleanrooms, labs, classrooms, offices, a glazed atrium, and a cafeteria.

Arizona State University opened the $120 million Biodesign Institute Building C in September of 2018 in Tempe. Designed by ZGF Architects and BWS Architects, the five-story, 191,000-sf project features wet labs for chemistry, engineering, and biological sciences arranged in collaborative neighborhoods.

Western Colorado University began construction in September of 2018 on the 75,000-sf Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering in Gunnison. Created in partnership with the University of Colorado and funded by a donation of $80 million, the facility will provide sophisticated instrumentation suites, laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, collaboration spaces, faculty offices, and a central gallery with a canted glass curtainwall. Farnsworth Group is providing architectural, MEP, structural, and landscape design services.

Johns Hopkins Medicine opened the $95 million All Children's Education and Research Facility in September of 2018 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Designed by HDR, the 225,000-sf project provides advanced simulation training suites, research labs, instructional spaces, administrative offices, a biorepository, and a 400-seat auditorium.

Texas A&M University opened the $228 million Zachry Engineering Education Complex in September of 2018 in College Station. Designed by TreanorHL, the project included renovation of the existing building and construction of an addition to provide 526,000 sf of collaborative teaching and research space. The complex houses the Fischer Engineering Design Center, technology-rich learning studios, offices, and interdisciplinary open labs.

Rutgers University opened the $115 million Chemistry and Chemical Biology Building in September of 2018 in Piscataway, N.J. Designed by Flad Architects to promote multidisciplinary collaboration, the four-story, 144,000-sf facility offers core facilities including a microscopy suite, a Class 100 chemistry cleanroom, and labs for optical spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.

Ajinomoto Althea is building a 57,000-sf pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in San Diego. Accommodating all stages of development from preclinical production through commercial supply, the project will support the manufacture of highly potent drug products as well as Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs). The facility will enable the safe handling and manipulation of compounds with very low occupational exposure limits (OEL) while maintaining aseptic conditions and cGMP compliance.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point opened the $75 million Chemistry Biology Building in September of 2018. The four-story, 176,500-sf facility was designed by HOK and Potter Lawson to put science on display and provides 58 research and teaching labs. The building offers flexible instructional spaces for STEM programs including two 98-seat lecture halls, three 48-seat classrooms, and two 24-seat classrooms.

Dow Chemical Company Renovates Electronics Materials Lab