Sustainability

The University of California, San Diego is planning to expand the Jacobs College of Engineering with the construction of Franklin Antonio Hall. Supported by a $30 million philanthropic contribution, the 200,000-sf facility will feature eleven collaboratories for team-based research, a 250-seat teaching auditorium, a high-bay lab, multipurpose classrooms, faculty offices, and flexible meeting rooms. Antonio Hall will be built to attain the LEED Platinum sustainable design certification or an equivalent rating. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2021.

St. Louis Community College will break ground in March of 2018 on the $39 million Center for Nursing & Health Sciences. Designed by KAI Design & Build to accommodate 11 health programs under one roof, the four-story, 96,000-sf facility will offer teaching labs, classrooms, flexible learning spaces, and a dental clinic. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is slated for completion in fall of 2019.

The University of South Australia is constructing the AUD$247 million Health Innovation Building in Adelaide. Located in the Biomed City development, the 310,000-gsf facility will house the Centre for Cancer Biology, the Museum of Discovery, the Innovation and Collaboration Centre, health teaching clinics, a vivarium, and an atrium. Construction began on the 14-story project in 2015 and occupancy is expected in mid-2018.

Davidson College completed the $74 million Interdisciplinary Science Center in November of 2017 in Davidson, N.C. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch, the project included construction of the two-wing, 135,300-sf E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center and the renovation of the adjoining Martin Laboratory. Housing the departments of biology, chemistry, environmental science, psychology, and neuroscience, the facility offers collaborative teaching and research labs, interactive learning environments, faculty offices, and a central atrium with a 120-seat forum.

Montgomery County Community College opened the $32 million Health Sciences Center in November of 2017 in Blue Bell, Pa. The 145,000-sf project, which included new construction and renovation of an existing building, provides 14 health science labs, 11 classrooms, a 25-station dental clinic, imaging suites, simulation rooms, offices, a fitness center, an instructional gym, and a 1,100-seat multipurpose sports hall. The sustainably designed facility features natural and LED lighting, low-VOC materials, and sophisticated building systems.

The California Air Resources Board broke ground in late October of 2017 on its $419 million headquarters in Riverside. The facility will support advanced vehicle emissions testing and research with diagnostic suites, test cells, a chemistry lab, administrative offices, a 250-person auditorium, and a conference room. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will be one of the largest net-zero energy buildings in the United States. Construction will begin in February of 2017.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is constructing the $102 million Physical Sciences Building. Designed by Wilson Architects to promote collaboration, the 79,500-gsf facility will accommodate 20 faculty members and 130 bench positions for the departments of physics and chemistry. Comprising two stories above ground and a basement level, the building will provide conference rooms, faculty offices, laboratories, and high bay spaces with vibration mitigation technologies.

Toyota opened the $80 million Production Engineering and Manufacturing Center in late October of 2017. Accommodating over 600 engineers and 200 support staff, the 235,000-sf facility offers 3D printing technologies, augmented and virtual reality suites, and the TILT lab, an experimental engineering hub for problem solving and innovation. Designed to attain LEED Platinum sustainable design certification, the center utilizes a geothermal HVAC system, photovoltaic panels, and natural lighting.

University of Maryland Medical Center broke ground in November of 2017 on a $116 million patient care tower in Baltimore. Located on the Midtown campus, the 13-story, 275,000-sf facility will treat chronic illnesses including asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and HIV. The tower will also house the Community Health Education Center and conference facilities. The sustainably designed building will feature a green roof and is slated for completion in 2020. 

The University of California, Riverside is constructing the $150 million Multidisciplinary Research Building 1 (MRB1). Designed by SmithGroupJJR, the five-story, 179,000-sf facility will provide collaborative wet, dry, and computational laboratories to accommodate up to 56 researchers and their teams. The project will include offices, conference rooms, BSL-2 labs, core research space, and a barrier vivarium with animal holding areas, procedure rooms, and support.

The University of Colorado Boulder broke ground in October of 2017 on an $82.5 million aerospace engineering building. Designed by Hord Coplan Macht (HCM) and Ratio Architects, the collaborative 144,000-sf project will provide reconfigurable open research labs, interactive learning spaces, faculty offices, workshops, a 200-seat auditorium, and an indoor flight environment for unmanned aircraft. Whiting-Turner is the general contractor and occupancy is expected in summer of 2019.

Pfizer’s pharmaceutical factory in Dalian, China, has attained LEED-NC Platinum sustainable design certification. The project, which involved a 140,000-sf expansion to accommodate an aseptic workshop for cephalosporin products, began construction in 2014 and reached completion in April of 2017.  As the chosen strategic partner for the project, Johnson Controls was involved throughout the design and construction process and provided building controls systems and lifecycle green building certification consulting services.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a widely used buzzword that refers to a rapidly growing network of internet-connected devices and sensors that transmit data back to a central repository for rapid analysis. This network generates massive amounts of information that can be used to maximize energy efficiency, optimize space use, reduce costs, and increase operational visibility across all types of facilities and organizations. LED lights with sensors, smart grid meters, intelligent HVAC and security systems, even mobile and body-worn devices, all generate tremendous amounts of data that both humans and computers can use to make better decisions.

The University of California, Santa Barbara opened the $86 million BioEngineering Building in October of 2017. Designed by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration, the three-story, 45,000-sf facility provides 17,200 sf of open lab space, a 100-seat auditorium, an atrium, and offices for faculty, graduate students, and administrative staff.

Colorado State University celebrated the opening of the $56.4 million Chemistry Research Building in Fort Collins in October of 2017. Designed by Hord Coplan Macht and Ratio Architects, the four-story, 60,000-sf facility provides 11 faculty research areas in a collaborative open environment with an abundance of fume hoods. The laboratory design consultant for the building was Research Facilities Design (RFD).