Information Technology

The University of Maryland is planning to build the $140 million Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science Innovation in College Park. The facility will provide UMD’s Department of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies with technology-rich labs and workrooms for the study of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, computer vision, robotics, and virtual reality. Designed to support collaborative learning, the LEED-certified project will include classrooms for the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.

The University of Alabama is partnering with Lockheed Martin to create a data science research lab. Located at the Culverhouse College of Commerce in Tuscaloosa, the facility will allow students to participate in the development and application of advanced analytics technologies. Still in the design phase, the laboratory will be located in Bidgood Hall and will feature a visualization suite with multiple plasma screens and digital projectors as well as collaboration spaces for small group work.

High-performance core facilities, spurred by proliferating cross-disciplinary investigations and technological advances, can benefit from the long-standing focus on flexibility that has generated so many design efficiencies in the traditional research lab, says Randy Kray, senior vice president and science and technology director of programming and planning at HOK.

Apple has initiated site work for the Apple Campus 2 in Cupertino, Calif. The new headquarters will provide 3.42 million sf of office and R&D facilities on a 176-acre campus designed to accommodate 14,000 employees. The project centerpiece is a four-story, 2.8 million-sf circular building with a glass curtainwall and 700,000 rooftop photovoltaic panels, the construction cost of which is $5 billion. A 120,000-sf auditorium, a 100,000-sf fitness center, 100,000 sf of utility plant space, and parking structures will also be built.

Nova Southeastern University broke ground in February of 2014 on the 215,000-sf Center for Collaborative Research (CCR) in Davie, Fla. The $80 million multidisciplinary facility will house wet labs, an IBM supercomputer research suite, the Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research, and the Emil Buehler Research Center for Engineering, Science, and Mathematics. The building will also accommodate the General Clinical Research Center, the NSU Technology Incubator, and space for the United States Geological Survey.

Hewlett Packard broke ground on an 89,000-sf R&D facility in Ballybrit in the Republic of Ireland in February of 2014. Designed by Taylor Architects, the building will house 700 employees engaged in software research and the development of cloud computing technologies. The project team includes general contractor M.J. Conroy Group, engineering consultants Arup and RPS, and project manager AECOM. Completion is expected in February of 2015.

The £11 million Higgs Centre for Innovation will be built at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, Scotland. Accommodating research in advanced data processing, particle physics, quantum computing, and astronomical instrumentation, the laboratory will be located at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre and will be operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. Designed to foster collaboration with the private sector, the Higgs Centre will house leasable space for up to 12 industry partners. Occupancy is expected in 2016.

IBM opened a 21,000-sf commercial technology R&D facility in Nairobi in November of 2013. The lab will house researchers leveraging powerful analytical tools, such as cognitive computing systems, to develop solutions to Africa's unique challenges for energy, healthcare, agriculture, water, transportation, and public safety. The facility is located at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and features a dynamic cloud-enabled computing hub.

The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), on Boston University’s Medical Campus, is maximizing secure wireless networks and private cloud computing to improve safety, operational efficiency, and energy consumption. The seven-story building—which contains BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 facilities—features a dedicated data center, virtualized servers, extensive use of thin clients, and a secure wireless network providing voice-over-IP (VoIP) communications that cover more than 90 percent of the interior.

Ericsson is planning to build a $1.3 billion R&D center in Montreal. Located in the suburb of Vaudreuil-Dorion, the 430,560-sf engineering facility will support product development and testing as well as housing Ericsson’s internal IT infrastructure. Occupancy is expected in 2015. Ericsson is a global manufacturer of telecommunications equipment and networks based in Sweden.

The University of Massachusetts, Suffolk Construction Company, and Architectural Resources Cambridge approached the UMass Medical School's Albert Sherman Center with three major goals in mind: to visualize the building using 3-D Virtual Design and Construction, manage construction through comprehensive Building Information Modeling, and collect that data in a usable format to better maintain and operate the building in the future.

The average lifespan of a building is 60 years, but the forces that drive the workplace may change as often as every six months. The challenge, whether for new construction or renovation, is to design a workplace that will adapt to a fluctuating timetable of changes in technology, business goals, and the workforce. The keys to success are a flexible workplace and a strong change management process.

Ohio State University is creating three-dimensional models of its existing buildings as part of a comprehensive plan to address space management needs and to make informed decisions regarding renovation, construction, and maintenance projects.

Construction began in August of 2011 on the $168 million Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke. Representing a partnership of MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts system, the two-story, 90,000-sf complex is strategically sited to benefit from hydroelectric power resources and lower electricity costs. The project will support the computational research needs of the five institutions.

Hewlett-Packard Co. opened a new 360,000-sf data center in February of 2010. Located in Wynyard in the United Kingdom, the facility is cooled by wind and uses approximately 40 percent less energy than a conventional data center.