Construction work is underway for the new Global Fire Science Center in Northbrook, Illinois.
Northbrook, Illinois, August 28, 2025
Construction has officially kicked off for a new Global Fire Science Center of Excellence in Northbrook, Illinois. The project, spanning over 110 acres, aims to enhance testing and research capabilities related to fire hazards in modern building technologies. With various phases of development, the center is expected to complete by 2027, providing vital certification and verification services across the commercial and residential construction markets.
Construction has started on a new fire-science complex at a headquarters campus in Northbrook, Illinois. The project will create a Global Fire Science Center of Excellence that spans more than 110 acres and combines updated laboratory spaces with newly built test facilities. Work is being carried out in multiple phases and is scheduled for completion in 2027.
The development is intended to expand testing, research, and evaluation capacity for fire hazards linked to modern building technologies. The site will support product and system testing across multiple construction sectors, including sprinklers, pipes, fittings, valves, fire extinguishers, foam formulations, water mist systems, exterior wall assemblies, and fire barrier systems. The facility is designed to provide certification and verification services that align with international building codes and insurance requirements.
The campus covers more than 110 acres and will be built in stages. Construction is planned over several phases to allow labs and test ranges to come online incrementally. Full project delivery is targeted for 2027, with individual laboratories and service lines becoming available earlier as phases are completed.
The center will include upgraded fire laboratories and new test bays to expand the range and scale of experiments. A dedicated applied research and development hub will house modeling and simulation tools to study fire behavior, enabling more advanced analysis of how products and systems perform under fire conditions. The site aims to assess both traditional fire safety technologies and emerging solutions tailored to modern building design.
A notable part of the program is testing focused on sustainability and chemical safety. The facility will evaluate water-saving extinguishing systems and energy-efficient wall assemblies, acknowledging tradeoffs between fire performance and broader sustainability goals. It will also test firefighting foams that have been reformulated to remove or reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called forever chemicals, to verify performance and safety.
The center is planned as a collaborative environment where safety science teams will work with product manufacturers, consultants, trade groups, and standards organizations. The goal is to identify fire risks earlier in the product development process so issues can be addressed before products reach the market. This proactive approach is expected to help shorten development timelines for new building technologies and support safer deployments.
Certification and verification services will be available across both commercial and residential construction markets. The Northbrook center is intended to serve projects from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America and to act as a global benchmark for product safety and performance compliance.
By offering standardized testing and verification, the facility aims to help manufacturers meet international building code requirements and support evidence-based underwriting for insurers. Laboratories that test exterior wall assemblies, fire barriers, and system performance can provide documentation used in code compliance and insurance assessments.
The official groundbreaking was attended by local and federal representatives, signaling community and governmental interest in the center’s role in improving fire safety and supporting economic activity. Construction will generate phased employment and may create opportunities for collaboration with academic and industry partners.
Work will proceed through multiple phases, bringing different laboratory and testing capabilities online as each phase finishes. The overall schedule targets completion by 2027. Project planners expect the campus to expand testing capacity for emerging building technologies and to enable new cooperative research efforts in fire safety, construction, and compliance.
The project is a Global Fire Science Center of Excellence, a large campus of upgraded and new laboratories designed to test fire performance and support applied research into fire behavior and building safety systems.
The facility is being constructed at a headquarters campus in Northbrook, Illinois.
The development will cover more than 110 acres.
Construction is phased, with full completion targeted for 2027. Some labs and services are expected to open earlier as phases finish.
Services will include testing and certification for sprinklers, pipes, fittings, valves, fire extinguisher performance, foam formulations, water mist systems, exterior wall assemblies, and fire barrier systems. The center will also provide verification needed for building code compliance and insurance.
Yes. Testing will include water-saving extinguishing approaches, energy-efficient wall assemblies, and other systems where sustainability intersects with fire performance.
The facility will assess firefighting foam reformulations that reduce or eliminate PFAS to determine performance and safety implications.
The site is intended to support manufacturers, consultants, trade associations, standards bodies, and public-sector stakeholders from regions including Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Site | More than 110 acres at a headquarters campus in Northbrook, Illinois |
| Primary function | Research, testing, and certification of fire safety for building technologies |
| Major test areas | Sprinklers, pipes, fittings, valves, extinguishers, foam formulations, water mist, exterior wall assemblies, fire barriers |
| Special capabilities | Applied R&D hub with modeling and simulation tools; expanded lab capacity for emerging technologies |
| Sustainability focus | Testing of water-saving extinguishing systems and energy-efficient wall assemblies; evaluation of PFAS-free foams |
| Markets served | Commercial and residential construction projects across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America |
| Completion | Phased construction with full delivery targeted for 2027 |
Rockford, August 28, 2025 News Summary This summer, significant construction projects will kick off across the…
Tuscola, Illinois, August 28, 2025 News Summary Cronus Chemicals is set to invest $2 billion to…
Tuscola, Illinois, August 28, 2025 News Summary Cronus Chemicals has announced plans to construct a $2…
Will County, August 28, 2025 News Summary The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced a significant…
Ogle County, Illinois, August 28, 2025 News Summary Construction work is set to commence on Illinois…
Downtown Brooklyn, New York, August 28, 2025 News Summary Alloy Development and the Vistria Group closed…