Industry News

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is expanding its science programs and needs additional research labs and technological upgrades. The Pennsylvania Department of General Services has contracted STV Architects of Douglassville, Pa., to design the new Kutztown University Science Center. The $14-million center will encompass the departments of biology, chemistry, marine science, physics, geography, geology, physical science, and astronomy.

North Carolina Central University in Durham will receive approximately $118 million from a recent bond issue. Of that amount, about $50 million will go toward new construction, with the balance used for renovation of existing buildings. One project will renovate five buildings at a cost of $2.5 million per building. The upgrade will include replacement of all HVAC systems as well as installation of direct digital controls.

The University of California, Davis is nearing completion of its new $54.5 million Center for the Arts. The 106,370-sf facility will include a multilevel hall to seat up to 1,800; attic area and catwalks; entrance canopy; lobby; and an attached 250-seat studio theater.

McCormick Theological Seminary has recently completed renovations to two buildings that provide graduate student housing. Knight Advanced Technology of Chicago provided architectural, mechanical, electrical design, and construction administration services for the project--a seven-story, 38,000-sf apartment tower built in the late 1960s, and a four-story, 22,000-sf apartment building built in the late 1920s.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's new medical research building, designed by Lord Aeck & Sargent of Atlanta, will have a nontraditional design, placing desks near windows to take advantage of natural light, and using interior walls for utilities. Newcomb & Boyd of Atlanta is providing mechanical and electrical engineering for the new structure, ensuring ready access to the utilities in the building.