Information Technology

Samsung Electronics broke ground in March of 2020 on a $220 million research and development center in Hanoi, Vietnam. The 860,000-sf facility will support the creation of innovative mobile devices and applications, as well as providing laboratories for the study of artificial intelligence, big data, the internet of things, and 5G technologies. Comprising 16 stories above ground and three floors below grade, the building will include a staff gym, a rooftop garden, and a clubhouse. Completion is expected in late 2022.

The University of Illinois at Chicago will begin construction in spring of 2021 on the $118 million Computer Design Research and Learning Center. Designed by Booth Hansen and LMN Architects, the 125,000-sf facility will provide flexible classrooms, lecture halls, dry research labs, design studios, faculty and staff offices, and collaboration areas.

Houston Baptist University is planning to construct a $50 million complex for the College of Science and Engineering and the School of Nursing and Allied Health. Designed by Huitt-Zollars, the 112,300-sf project will include the renovation of two existing buildings and construction of a 53,000-sf facility to provide leading-edge classrooms and laboratories, clinical simulation suites, collaboration spaces, study areas, and informal interaction zones.

Lehigh University will break ground in April of 2021 on a 74,000-sf facility for the College of Business in Bethlehem, Pa. Featuring technology-rich classrooms for new programs in financial technologies, the three-story, four-floor structure will house the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research, the Rauch Media and Communications Lab, a behavioral lab, a data analytics lab, and a business innovation and incubation center. The building will be sited adjacent to the existing Rauch Business Center, which will also be expanded and renovated.

Construction began in February of 2020 on a 440,000-sf complex for Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Spring, Texas. Developed by a joint venture of Patrinely Group, USAA Real Estate, and CDC Houston, the collaborative campus will include two five-story structures with bridge connectors on each level. The facility will provide core research and development labs, a conference center, offices, a 2,055-space parking garage, a fitness hub, dining amenities, a pharmacy, and a large central courtyard with a multipurpose sports pavilion.

Radford University opened the Artis College of Science and Technology in February of 2020 in Radford, Va. Designed and engineered by CannonDesign, the $34 million project included a complete renovation of Reed Hall and Curie Hall, as well as construction of the connecting Center for the Sciences, a two-story collaboration hub offering meeting rooms, a commons area, study spaces, and offices.

Fexco opened a $23 million R&D center in January of 2020 in Killorglin, Ireland. Supported by $3.9 million in funding from Enterprise Ireland, the project involved the redevelopment of a former manufacturing site to create a collaborative nexus for entrepreneurship and economic development. The 57,000-sf building strategically collocates the company's 37,000-sf Research Development and Innovation Centre with the not-for-profit RDI Hub, a 20,000-sf facility enabling the establishment and scale-up of startup companies.

Eli Lilly and Company opened the 11,500-sf Lilly Life Sciences Studio in San Diego in January of 2020. Part of a $90 million investment to expand the company's research footprint, the laboratory leverages a robotic cloud platform created by Strateos to enable other drug discovery companies and investigators to access the remote-controlled facility.

The University of Iowa dedicated the $33.5 million Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences building in Iowa City in January of 2020. Creating a new gateway to the east side of campus, the 66,470-sf teaching and research facility provides technology-rich classrooms and labs, administrative offices, conference rooms, and breakout spaces. Supporting programs in neuroscience, psychology, computational modeling, and virtual reality, the six-story structure features an interior plaza and a learning commons to promote interaction and collaboration.

The use of software to aid in master planning is nothing new. At Payette, however, designers and engineers have collaborated to create new software tools to solve master planning issues as they emerge. “We have a range of really complex problems,” explains Jeffrey DeGregorio, a principal at Payette. “Because they’re part of these large-scale master plans, we need to represent them very clearly to be able to tell a story. I think Payette occupies this complicated little niche—complex organizations, complicated campuses.”

Pennsylvania State University is planning to build the $56.8 million Center for Innovation, Making and Learning in State College. The project will include the demolition of the existing James Building and construction of an 85,000-sf facility accommodating maker spaces, workshops, a virtual reality and immersive technology lab, lecture venues, and co-working and collaboration areas.

The University of Cincinnati is constructing the 180,000-sf Digital Futures Building in the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Designed by KieranTimberlake with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the interdisciplinary facility will provide applied research labs for the creation of innovative robotic, automotive, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies.

Arizona State University broke ground in January of 2020 on a $73.5 million digital innovation campus in Mesa. Designed by Holly Street Studio and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 118,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in digital and sensory technology, media arts, experiential design, gaming, and film production for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Trinity College Dublin will begin construction in mid-2020 on the Martin Naughton E3 Learning Foundry in Ireland. Supporting a project-based pedagogy for STEM education, the $67 million interdisciplinary facility will offer interactive learning spaces and laboratories for the Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies Institute. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to promote collaboration and innovation, the six-story, 78,102-sf building will be shared by the schools of engineering, natural sciences, and computer science and statistics.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is constructing an $80 million academic and research facility in Worcester, Mass. Designed by Gensler, the 100,000-sf building will provide interactive spaces for project-based education including flexible learning environments and innovation labs for collaborative development with industry and government partners.