Higher Education

A new Centralized Research Support Facility (CRSF) at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) has created a host of benefits for the university and its Animal Care Program, including almost $13 million in savings to date, with more savings expected when existing space is reassigned. The project could signal a paradigm shift as available research space shrinks, but consolidation/centralization requires significant operational and cultural shifts.

Cornell College began construction in spring of 2017 on the $35 million Russell Science Center in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The four-story, 45,600-sf facility will provide dedicated research space, classrooms and labs for biology and chemistry, faculty offices, and study areas. Completion is expected in January of 2019.

Ryerson University is building the Centre for Urban Innovation in Toronto. Designed by Moriyama & Teshima, the project includes renovating and expanding an existing structure to create a 40,000-sf facility providing wet and dry research labs, fabrication suites, and offices for business incubation and commercialization. The collaborative center will accommodate researchers in infrastructure, logistics, transportation, alternative energy, water management, food production, and data analytics.

Biola University is building the $63 million Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health in La Mirada, Calif. The 91,200-sf facility will provide 30 laboratories, three classrooms, faculty offices, research space, and a rooftop observatory. Housing the School of Science, Technology and Health, the center will accommodate a wide range of academic programs with an emphasis on computer science. Ground was broken on the project in February of 2016 and completion is expected in spring of 2018. 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory broke ground in late January of 2017 on the $91.5 million Integrative Genomics Building in Berkeley, Calif. Designed by SmithGroup, the four-story, 82,604-gsf facility will house approximately 300 researchers and staff from the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and the Systems Biology Knowledgebase.

Columbia Basin College is building the $16 million Wortman Medical Science Center in Richland, Wash. Providing simulation labs, classrooms, computer labs, and open training areas, the four-story, 72,600-sf facility will also include leased space for Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s family medicine residency program. Ground was broken on the project in April of 2016 and completion is expected by fall of 2017. 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is constructing the $70 million Science Research Building in Edinburg. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the four-story, 115,000-sf project will provide classrooms, teaching labs, faculty and researcher offices, an instrumentation research and teaching core, and research labs for biological and physical science. Additionally, the $54 million Academic Building is being constructed in Brownsville.

Auburn University broke ground in February of 2017 on the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center in Auburn, Ala. The $40 million facility will feature a design and innovation center with maker spaces, labs, shops, project incubators, and flexible classrooms for active learning. The project will also include technology-rich study spaces, conference rooms, and auditoriums, as well as areas for recruitment, tutoring, and academic advising. Completion is expected in spring of 2019.  

The University of California, San Francisco will begin construction in 2019 on a $200 million academic and research facility at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG). Supporting the University’s existing research programs at the hospital, the five-story, 175,000-sf project will consolidate and replace labs and offices that do not meet new seismic regulations. Accommodating 800 faculty, trainees, and staff, the development will also enable ZSFG to maintain its status as the city’s only Level 1 Trauma Center.

The University of Idaho opened the $53 million Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) on its Moscow campus in January of 2017. Designed by NBBJ, the collaborative 70,000-sf project features flexible laboratories for interdisciplinary research, an advanced visualization suite, offices, conference rooms, and core labs with shared equipment. Hoffman Construction Company broke ground on the facility in August of 2014. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Arizona State University (ASU) has designed its engineering schools to not only teach engineering, but also to develop entrepreneurs. In addition to the traditional classroom education, students are given the space and the skills to invent, design, produce, and market what their minds conceive.

The University of South Florida is planning to build a $153 million facility to house the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in Tampa. Designed by HOK, the 320,000-sf project will provide laboratories, learning spaces, conference rooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, and a clinical trials unit. The construction manager is Skanska USA Building and completion is expected in late 2019.

Brigham Young University-Idaho dedicated the 108,000-sf Science and Technology Building in February of 2017 in Rexburg. Designed by CRSA of Salt Lake City, the three-story facility provides classrooms, multifunctional laboratories, and faculty offices for the Departments of Animal and Food Science, Applied Plant Science, Computer Information Technology, and Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the project will feature collaborative areas for student projects.

Central Michigan University opened the $95 million Biosciences Building in January of 2017 in Mount Pleasant. Designed by Stantec to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 169,000-sf facility provides teaching labs, research labs, lecture halls, an active learning classroom, an auditorium, and faculty offices. The building also includes a BSL-3 suite, an herbarium, an imaging center, and an aquatic research vivarium. Clark Construction began work on the project in September of 2014.

Combining wireless sensor networks with custom mobile apps to create interactive “sentient buildings” and smart community spaces has the potential to significantly impact the future of facility design in higher education, healthcare, research, and other sectors where increased collaboration and space efficiency are crucial.