A new master space plan for the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences leverages program adjacencies and shared infrastructure to improve collaborative interdisciplinary research while maximizing space use. This “soft growth” renovation approach allows the college to increase capacity and improve efficiency without demolishing or adding new buildings.
George Mason University is building a $73 million health sciences facility in Fairfax, Va. Housing the College of Health and Human Services, the 160,000-sf building will include clinical space, teaching labs, and a kitchen for programs in nutritional science. The facility will support a team-based model of healthcare with professionals from different disciplines collaborating in patient diagnosis and treatment. Ground was broken on the project in summer of 2015 with completion expected in 2017.
Belmont College opened its $10 million Health Sciences Center in August of 2015 in St. Clairsville, Ohio. The 27,648-sf project will provide collaborative, technology-rich instructional spaces including a SMART 360 classroom, simulation training suites, and labs for biology, anatomy, and chemistry. Accommodating programs in Allied Health, the facility will house three general-purpose classrooms, faculty offices, and a student commons.
The College of New Jersey is planning to build a facility for STEM education in Ewing to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering, the 89,000-sf project will feature collaborative research suites for biomedical engineering and computer science, as well as labs for physiology, robotics, system dynamics, and thermo-fluids. The facility will include a high-performance computing cluster, a mechanical engineering design studio, and a metal fabrication and assembly workshop.
Clayton State University opened its $18 million Science Building in August of 2015 in Morrow, Ga. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 58,610-sf facility provides eight research labs, eight teaching labs, two 64-seat classrooms, two 36-seat classrooms, and two seminar rooms. The three-story building houses stacked biology and chemistry suites, each integrating research, prep, and teaching space.
Stephen F. Austin State University has selected Kirksey Architecture of Houston to design a $46.4 million STEM building in Nacogdoches, Texas. The collaborative learning facility will accommodate programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The construction manager for the project is J.E. Kingham Construction Company.
The University of Sheffield is planning to build the $25 million Structural Dynamics Laboratory for Verification and Validation in the United Kingdom. Located in the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the facility will enable industry and academia to engage in collaborative research and development in the field of structural dynamics. Enabling full-scale testing of engineering structures, systems, and components, the project will feature a modular environmental chamber with sophisticated controls for humidity, temperature, wind speed, and weather conditions.
The University of Missouri opened the MU Metagenomics Center in August of 2015 in Columbia. The laboratory is located in a shared 60,000-sf facility at the Discovery Ridge Research Park and will serve as a comprehensive resource for microbiological research. Featuring advanced technologies for DNA extraction, RNA sequencing, and informatics analysis, the center will process samples of microbiota obtained from humans, animals, plants, and soil.
SUNY Upstate Medical Center began construction in June of 2015 on the second phase of the Central New York Biotech Accelerator (CNYBAC) in Syracuse, N.Y. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the project includes the build out of the second and third floors of the facility to house the Upstate Medical Innovation and Novel Discovery Center (MIND) and the Molecular Pathology Next Generation Sequencing Lab.
The University of Florida opened the $46 million Harrell Medical Education Building in late July of 2015. Located on the Health Science Center campus in Gainesville, the four-story, 95,000-sf facility will support the College of Medicine’s interactive, team-based curriculum. The project features two 4,600-sf academic spaces designed to accommodate group learning at circular tables and a medical training center with 18 standardized patient exam rooms.
Stanford University began site work in July of 2015 for the $107 million Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Biology Research Building in Palo Alto, Calif. The 123,450-gsf facility will provide laboratory space for biochemistry and computational research as well as including classrooms and offices for the Department of Biology. The building will have four stories above ground with a core lab for mass spectroscopy located below grade.
Michigan State University broke ground in June of 2015 on an $88.1 million biomedical research facility in the Grand Rapids Innovation Park. The six-story, 162,800-sf project will provide the College of Human Medicine with open labs to support up to 44 research teams. Designed by SmithGroupJJR with Ellenzweig as laboratory design consultant, the facility will feature core labs for flow cytometry, bioinformatics, microscopy, and long-term storage.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital opened the $205 million Clinical Sciences Pavilion in June of 2015. The 15-story, 445,000-sf translational research tower will house over 1,500 scientists, clinicians, and staff engaged in the application of medical discoveries to patient care. The facility features a three-story atrium, a clinical trials center, advanced imaging suites, and laboratories and offices arranged in research neighborhoods to foster interaction and collaboration. Construction began on the pavilion in 2012.
Purdue University will begin construction in July of 2015 on the $79 million Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center in West Lafayette, Ind. The 164,000-gsf facility will provide 27 classrooms as well as housing six engineering and science libraries. Designed by BSA LifeStructures to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the center will feature flexible classrooms that can act as group study spaces in the evenings. Completion is expected in August of 2017.
Ferris State University will open the Shimadzu Core Laboratory for Academic and Research Excellence in fall of 2015. Located in the Arts and Sciences Complex in Big Rapids, Mich., the facility will include seven new instruments supplied by the Shimadzu Corporation with a total value of $500,000. The core lab will feature advanced spectrophotometry equipment to support student research in chemistry, physics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and forensic science.
