Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month.
Space Institute
Calling all space cadets! Researchers from Texas A&M University are teaming up with NASA on the future of human space exploration. University leaders and other officials broke ground on the $200 million Texas A&M University Space Institute, which is being built adjacent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The new institute will advance engineering, collaboration, training, and more to help address challenges in low Earth orbit, on the moon, and, yup, even on Mars. The facility will also focus on workforce development for what’s been dubbed the “space economy.”
Organization: Texas A&M University and Johnson Space Center
Location: Houston, Texas
Type of project: New build
Size: 32-acre site
Estimated cost: $200 million
Status: Ground broken Nov. 15
Expected completion: September 2026
Interesting tidbit: The Texas A&M University Space Institute is being built on a 32-acre site and will serve as the first tenant at Johnson Space Center’s new 240-acre Exploration Park, which will host facilities to help foster a variety of space-related innovations. The Space Institute will feature the world’s largest indoor simulation spaces for lunar and Martian surface operations, high-bay laboratories, and multifunctional project rooms. Notably, Texas A&M has a rich history of space-related research and currently employs four astronauts. Furthermore, scientists and engineers from Texas A&M have participated in all NASA rover missions to Mars, with two scientists active on NASA’s Perseverance Rover Team.
Quote: Dr. Nancy Currie-Gregg—professor of engineering practice at Texas A&M, director of the new institute, and a former NASA astronaut (pictured above)—said, “This institute represents our commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge, and I can’t wait to see the breakthroughs that lie ahead.”
More details available here.
Another Buc-ee’s Travel Center
Have you heard about the cultural phenomenon known as Buc-ee’s? The highway superstores have become must-see destinations for traveling families and a rite of passage for musicians on the road. Buc-ee’s, which proclaims itself “home of the world’s cleanest bathrooms, freshest food, and friendliest beaver,” has broken ground on one of its newest travel centers in Gallaway, Tenn.
Organization: Buc-ee’s
Location: Gallaway, Tenn.
Type of project: New build
Size: 74,000 square feet
Estimated cost: N/A
Status: Ground broken Nov. 13
Expected completion: Summer 2026
Interesting tidbit: Like its stores, Buc-ee’s keeps getting bigger. The Gallaway center will be the chain’s third location in Tennessee, occupying 74,000 square feet and offering a whopping 120 fueling positions. Founded in Texas in 1982, Buc-ee’s operates 50 stores in total so far. Since beginning its multi-state expansion in 2019, Buc-ee’s has opened travel centers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, and Colorado. The company broke ground on the first Virginia, Mississippi, and Ohio locations earlier this year.
Quote: Buc-ee’s Director of Real Estate and Development Stan Beard said, “Gallaway, Fayette County, is a fast-growing and progressive area of Western Tennessee and a perfectly beautiful spot for us to land.”
More details available here.
New VA Hospital
November included Veterans Day, so it’s only fitting to highlight a facility project dedicated to helping former military members. Officials recently celebrated a new veterans hospital under construction in downtown Tulsa, Okla. They revealed that the facility will be named the James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center after the late U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, considered one of Oklahoma’s biggest veteran supporters. Construction of the 58-bed hospital is a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Oklahoma State University (OSU), and The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.
Organizations: VA, OSU, and The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Type of project: Renovation/new build
Size: 319,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $176.4 million
Status: Ground broken 2021
Expected completion: Fall 2025
Interesting tidbit: Located in the former Kerr-Edmondson buildings in the OSU Academic Medical District, the 319,000-square-foot hospital is expected to bring a new level of care for the more than 65,000 veterans who live in and near the Tulsa area. With support from Inhofe, the hospital was one of the first projects in the country to use funding from the federal CHIP-IN Act, which allows the VA to form a public-private partnership to expedite construction of its healthcare facilities. Local developers will turn ownership of the facility over to the VA in fall 2025, with operations starting in early 2026. (Are you looking to support veterans? Then hire one for your FM team! Read this infographic on “5 Reasons Why Veterans Make Great Facilities Managers.”)
Quote: OSU President Dr. Kayse Shrum said Inhofe’s “steadfast support of the new veterans hospital in Tulsa proves his level of dedication and why the facility will soon bear his name.”
More details available here.
Laser Research Facility
Lasers are cool for many reasons, but could they hold the key to unlimited, carbon-free energy? Colorado State University (CSU) broke ground on its new Advanced Technology Lasers for Applications and Science (ATLAS) Facility on its Foothills Campus. This $150 million public-private partnership between CSU and Marvel Fusion allows the university to build a unique cluster of high-intensity, high-repetition lasers in collaboration with private industry and the federal government. The facility will focus on making laser-driven fusion energy—a form of power generation that aims to recreate the process that powers the sun—a viable, virtually limitless clean energy source.
Organizations: Colorado State University and Marvel Fusion
Location: Fort Collins, Colo.
Type of project: New build
Size: 71,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $150 million
Design-build team: McCarthy Building Cos. and SWBR
Status: Ground broken late October
Expected completion: Mid-2026
Interesting tidbit: In addition to research on fusion energy, the 71,000-square-foot facility will host innovative education and workforce development activities. It could also explore medicinal, manufacturing, and other uses for lasers. Constructed by McCarthy Building Cos., the laser facility will boast over 7,500 cubic yards of concrete with 5-foot-thick shielding walls around the target bay and a 3-foot-thick slab below the laser and target bays for vibration isolation. The lab spaces will feature clean rooms up to ISO 6/Class 1,000, and the HVAC systems will maintain extreme tolerances to keep the laser systems functioning properly in temperature and humidity-controlled environments.
Quote: Joe Brunsman, SVP of McCarthy’s Colorado operations, said, “We understand the transformative impact this facility will have, not only in advancing CSU’s reputation but also in positioning Fort Collins as a global leader in fusion research.”
More details available here.
Honorable Mentions
- $1.5B Pharmaceutical Storage Facility at Airport
- Energy-Saving Zoo Upgrades
- Manufacturing for ‘Shark Tank’ Company
- Jail Designed for Future Needs
- State’s First on-Campus Meat Plant
- Long-Delayed College Student Center
Do you have a major project announcement you’d like considered for the “Under Construction” series? Please contact Editor Joe Bebon at JBebon@BLR.com.