University of Arizona Grand Challenges Research Building

The University of Arizona’s Grand Challenges Research Building is designed to be both an interdisciplinary research hub and a center for collaboration. The building advances the University’s Research, Innovation & Impact (RII) Initiative by creating a dedicated hub for tackling the eight ‘grand challenges’ of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: water, energy, climate change, precision medicine, neuroscience, space exploration, quantum information, and materials science. Each area is explored through the intersecting lenses of optical and quantum sciences, positioning the facility as a catalyst for multidisciplinary research with transformative societal impact.

The building supports the expansion of the University’s renowned Wyant College of Optical Sciences, uniting diverse scientists from across campus and driving cross-pollination among physical, digital, and biological disciplines. The design cultivates a collaborative research culture, integrating damp labs, dry labs, and optical science labs alongside lounges, kitchenettes, outdoor terraces, flex offices, and conference rooms—spaces that encourage both spontaneous interaction and intentional collaboration. Physically linked to the Meinel Optical Sciences Building via a third-story bridge, it reinforces the University’s commitment to building a connected, collaborative research ecosystem.

Clad in weathering steel, the building’s massing is punctuated by glass-wrapped erosions that create staggered terraces, providing outdoor access on every floor. Balancing the needs of both highly specialized labs and more open, flexible research environments, the design team developed a common module that affords a flexible layout to accommodate various research disciplines, while maintaining cohesion across the building’s design.

Designed to create an environment of openness, collaboration, and mutual support, the interior design is characterized by aptly scaled spaces filled with warm tones inspired by the Sonoran Desert landscape, coupled with an abundance of natural light. Environmental graphics and wayfinding tell a visual story of quantum physics, while easing navigation.