Higher Education

Mount Wachusett Community College opened the $41 million Daniel M. Asquino Science Center in December of 2016 in Gardner, Mass. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the project included construction of a 44,000-gsf addition providing classrooms, faculty offices, study spaces, and teaching labs for biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, earth science, and anatomy and physiology. The existing Arthur F. Haley Academic Center was also renovated and an adjacent 2,300-sf greenhouse was built.

• Major Trends in Research Facility Planning and Design
• NIH Receives a $2 Billion Funding Boost
• The Next-Next Generation Workplace
• Intel Designs Next Generation Workplace for Recruitment and Retention
• Transforming Existing Spaces into Active Learning Classrooms  
• Future Proofing Vivarium Space Through Flexible Design
• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s New Space Allocation System
• “Super Lab” Improves Student Learning, Challenges Faculty Adaptability
• Maker Spaces: The Bridge Between Higher Education and Industry
• UPenn Replaces the HVAC System of a Fully Occupied, Operational Chemistry Facility

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center completed construction in January of 2017 on the $36.7 million Interprofessional Simulation and Patient Safety Center in Memphis. Designed by BRG3S and built by Flintco, the 45,000-sf facility will enable students from UTHSC’s six colleges to engage in team-based training programs in a simulated acute-care hospital with inpatient rooms, surgical suites, and labor and delivery rooms.

Skidmore College is planning to build the $100 million Center for Integrated Sciences in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Designed by Payette, the 200,000-sf project will support programs in biology, chemistry, physics, neuroscience, psychology, geoscience, environmental science, mathematics, computer science, and health and exercise science.

Michigan State University will begin construction in August of 2017 on the $100 million Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building in East Lansing. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the five-story, 170,000-sf facility will provide wet bench laboratories, offices, computational research space, and collaboration areas. Completion is expected in August of 2019.

Imperial College London began construction in early 2017 on the £70 million Michael Uren Biomedical Engineering Research Hub in London. Designed by Allies & Morrison, the collaborative 14-story building will provide flexible laboratories, an outpatient clinic, an auditorium, and interaction spaces. Located on the White City campus, the 215,000-sf translational research facility will be built to attain BREEAM sustainable design certification and will feature a highly efficient service model with interconnected utility plants on each floor.

The University of California, Irvine began construction in December of 2016 on the $46 million Anteater Learning Pavilion. Designed by LMN Architects, the 70,000-sf project includes a two-story structure with two active-learning lecture halls and a three-story structure with classrooms, offices, and interaction space. The collaborative facility is illuminated by abundant natural light and will offer a variety of interaction areas and reconfigurable spaces.

The University of Calgary opened the CAD$174 million Canadian Natural Resources Limited Engineering Complex in November of 2016 in Alberta, Canada. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the expansion project comprises a 197,000-sf addition and 119,000 sf of renovated space for the Schulich School of Engineering. The collaborative facility features a programmable dynamic view glass façade and provides two new floors of research laboratories for the study of renewable energy resources and the development of clean energy technologies.

Adelphi University celebrated the opening of the $76 million Nexus Building in December of 2016 in Garden City, N.Y. Designed by Ballinger, the collaborative 100,000-sf facility houses the College of Nursing and Public Health, the Center for Health Innovation, and a hub for core student services. The project also provides clinical simulation suites, research and informatics laboratories, and over 15 contemporary learning spaces.

The University of Melbourne is engaged in a 54,000-sf expansion of the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute. Created in partnership with Australian biopharmaceutical firm CSL, the AUD$36.4 million project will house the CSL Global Hub for Research and Translational Medicine, which will feature advanced technologies for the creation of personalized medicine solutions. Completion is expected in mid-2017.

Texas Tech University is planning to build the $62 million Medical Science Building II in El Paso. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 227,000-sf facility will provide advanced research laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, faculty and investigator offices, and support space. The general contractor for the project, which will include utility infrastructure and parking improvements, is Sundt Construction.

New York University is planning to begin construction in February of 2017 on a $1 billion learning hub in the Greenwich Village area of New York. Designed by KieranTimberlake and Davis Brody Bond, the 23-story, 735,000-sf project will provide 60 classrooms, three theaters, music and performing arts studios, faculty apartments, a 420-bed freshman dormitory, and an athletic facility with four basketball courts and a six-lane lap pool. Completion is expected in 2021.

The University of New Mexico is building the third phase of the Domenici Center for Health Science Education in Albuquerque. Designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, the $27.3 million project will house the Interprofessional Healthcare Simulation Center and classrooms for active learning, problem-based learning, and general education. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the three-story, 63,000-nsf facility will support a variety of health science programs including nursing, pharmacy, and physical and occupational therapy.

The University of Houston opened the $51 million Multidisciplinary Research and Engineering Building in November of 2016. Designed by SHW Group, a subsidiary of Stantec, the four-story, 120,000-gsf project provides the Cullen College of Engineering with wet research labs, a visualization suite, an NMR spectrometry lab, offices, and conference rooms.

Angelo State University began construction in December of 2016 on the $26 million Archer Health and Human Services Building in San Angelo, Texas. Designed by PBK Architects, the three-story, 50,000-sf facility will provide flexible lecture rooms, teaching labs, classrooms, a simulation training center, and testing suites. Completion is expected in January of 2018.