Northeastern University is moving forward with the next phase of its south campus expansion with plans for a 350,000-square-foot building supporting its research in robotics and autonomous vehicles at 795 Columbus Ave. in Boston.
Plans for the “EXP” facility submitted to the Boston Planning and Development Agency call for high-bay robotics research space, classrooms and a makerspace on the ground floor, showing off the university’s work on designs for drones, self-driving vehicles and humanoid robots.
Designed by Boston-based architects Payette, the building will serve approximately 750 faculty, staff and graduate students.
Northeastern is not proposing any parking to serve the new building, citing the proximity to stations on the MBTA Green and Orange lines, commuter rail and bus routes.
Northeastern completed its 8-story Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex on a portion of the 3.4-acre property in 2017, and a pedestrian bridge spanning the MBTA/Amtrak lines is scheduled to open in June.