Higher Education

(MUSiC) Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research & Fabrication Laboratory

(MUSiC) Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research & Fabrication Laboratory

Project Overview

Client: University of Arkansas
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Project Type: University Research Lab
Services: Higher Education Architecture and Interior Design

The National Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Laboratory (MUSiC) is a 22,000-square-foot semiconductor research facility located on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. Designed by WDD Architects in partnership with DLR Group and Tsoi Kobus Design, the facility supports silicon carbide (SiC) research, semiconductor fabrication, workforce development, and industry collaboration. As the nation’s first open-access, multi-user silicon carbide research and fabrication laboratory, MUSiC brings together researchers, students, government agencies, and industry partners to accelerate innovation while strengthening Arkansas’s growing role in semiconductor research and advanced manufacturing.

Corridor view of the MUSiC facility cleanroom at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, featuring yellow light-filtered observation windows and industrial piping designed by WDD Architects.

Modern interior corridor at the University of Arkansas MUSiC research lab in Fayetteville, displaying custom circuit board wall graphics and exposed overhead piping designed by WDD Architects.

Design Features

Designed to support advanced semiconductor research and fabrication, the facility features eight cleanrooms, research laboratories, offices, support spaces, and expansion capacity for future growth. While the building presents a simple exterior form, its highly specialized infrastructure supports the complex systems required for advanced laboratory operations. The flexible design accommodates both current and future research needs while fostering innovation, collaboration, and technological advancement.

Collaborative workspace and meeting area inside the University of Arkansas MUSiC semiconductor research facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas designed by WDD Architects

In The News

University of Arkansas — MUSiC Lab Advances Semiconductor Research and Workforce Development

Building Design & Construction Magazine – Nation’s First Muti-User Silicon Carbide Lab Opens at Univ. of Arkansas

Arkansas Money & Politics – WDD Behind State-of-the-Art Microchip Facility at UA

Exterior entrance of the National Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Lab (MUSiC) facility in Fayetteville, AR, featuring corrugated metal siding and glass entryway, designed by WDD Architects.

Learn More

Watch how the MUSiC Lab is advancing semiconductor research at the University of Arkansas

Visit the MUSiC website

 

Photo credit: Russell Cothren

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