Information Technology

Southern Methodist University broke ground in February of 2019 on the 50,000-sf Gerald J. Ford Hall for Research and Innovation. Accommodating programs in high-performance computing and data science, the building will house the AT&T Center for Virtualization, the Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute, and the Visualization Lab. Funded in part by a $15 million philanthropic contribution, the facility will also provide a new home for the Hart eCenter and the SMU Guildhall graduate game design program.

Boden Type Data Center One opened in February of 2019 in Boden, Sweden. Designed as a prototype for data center energy efficiency, the 500-kilowatt facility will operate with minimal environmental impact by implementing a range of highly innovative building systems and technologies. Funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program, the project was developed by a consortium of firms including H1 Systems, EcoCooling, Fraunhofer IOSB, RISE SICS North, and Boden Business Agency.

Weber State University will begin construction in May of 2019 on the $20 million Computer and Automotive Engineering Building in Layton, Utah. Located on the Davis campus, the 50,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in automotive technology, software engineering, and computer science, including courses in big data and cybersecurity.

Lockheed Martin opened the $50 million Research & Development II facility in Orlando in February of 2019. The six-story, 255,000-sf building offers collaborative offices and laboratories to support engineering, program management, and business operations for the company's Missiles and Fire Control division as well as the Rotary and Mission Systems division. The duration of construction was one year. 

Trine University is planning an $8.5 million expansion of Fawick Hall to house the School of Computing in Angola, Ind. Designed by Elevatus Architects, the project will accommodate new and existing programs in computer science, information technology, software engineering, cybersecurity, web development, and health informatics. The facility will provide a virtual reality and artificial intelligence lab, flexible classrooms with moveable walls, an active learning lab with a maker space, collaboration areas, faculty offices, and a café.

Arizona State University is planning to construct a $64 million digital innovation campus in downtown Mesa. Designed by Holly Street Studio and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the five-story, 118,000-sf project will provide galleries, theaters, production studios, fabrication labs, flexible classrooms, and a café.

Rice University is planning to renovate a former Sears building in Houston to create a 270,000-sf innovation center called The Ion. Providing event spaces, meeting rooms, and business incubation suites, the collaborative facility will support data science research initiatives and the development of new digital technologies. The complex, which will include dining and entertainment amenities, will host public programs including entrepreneurial workshops, networking sessions, training courses, and industry lectures.

Cranfield University began construction in January of 2019 on the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) in Cranfield in the United Kingdom. Designed by Burrell Foley Fischer, the £65 million project will provide technology-rich laboratory spaces adjoining a live aerodrome with a hangar, a 737-400 aircraft, an intelligent movement area, and a remote air traffic control center with next-generation radar systems.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is planning to build the Translational Research Capability project in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Located on ORNL’s main campus, the three-story laboratory and office building will provide between 80,000 and 115,000 gsf of space to support growing research programs in materials science and computing. A request for qualifications will be released in April of 2019 for the design-build project, which has an estimated construction cost of $58 million. Work will begin on the facility in early 2020 with completion expected by December of 2022. 

Capital One opened the Tech Incubator at the University of Maryland in College Park in November of 2018. Supporting collaborative research in data science, machine learning, and AI, the flexible 7,500-sf facility features 32 sit-to-stand desks in an open office area that can be converted into a meeting venue. Located in UMD’s Discovery District in a mixed-use development called the Diamondback Garage, the facility provides laboratories, a conference room, a lounge, a kitchen, and a game room.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston opened a $15 million facility for the School of Biomedical Informatics in December of 2018. Located in the Texas Medical Center, the two-story, 44,709-sf project is the first freestanding school of biomedical informatics in the United States and was constructed on top of an existing parking garage.

Heriot Watt University is planning to construct the National Robotarium in Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. Created in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, the £100 million innovation hub will support research and development on robotics and autonomous systems as well as providing instruction and training facilities for computational science programs. The project is an integral part of the region’s Data Driven Innovation (DDI) initiative that aims to establish the area as the data capital of Europe. Occupancy is expected in 2021. 

The University of Houston-Victoria is building the $28 million Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Building in Victoria, Texas. Designed by SmithGroup, the three-story, 58,464-sf facility will provide robotics and gaming labs, software development suites, motion capture rooms, a 120-seat classroom, and an immersive media lab with a 210-degree screen.

Georgia Southern University broke ground in December of 2018 on the $50 million Center for Engineering and Research in Statesboro. Designed by SmithGroup and Stevens & Wilkinson to promote interaction and collaboration, the three-story, 135,000-sf facility will provide a centralized home for the departments and disciplines of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing.

Pensacola State University broke ground in November of 2018 on a $34 million STEM facility to replace the Mary Ellison Baars Building in Pensacola, Fla. The first phase of the project includes construction of the $13 million east wing to accommodate programs in cybersecurity, computer science, advanced manufacturing, mathematics, and aviation maintenance. The three-story, 25,400-sf structure is being built by Ajax Building Corporation and completion is expected in May of 2020.