Higher Education

The Sterling Chemistry Laboratory (SCL), located on Yale University’s Science Hill, is an iconic 157,800-gsf, three-story chemistry lab building designed by Delano & Aldrich and completed in 1923. The building structure of steel, reinforced concrete, and masonry, with a brick and brownstone exterior skin, remains intact, while the interior has been renovated to modernize the laboratory facilities and add 31,600 sf of space. The u-shaped building perimeter consists of a two-story head house at the south and three-story structures along the east and west. The primary focus of the SCL project is to provide cutting-edge teaching labs and associated support spaces within the footprint of the existing historic building, provide a much-needed roof replacement across the entire center area in the north and south, and provide a new HVAC system to support the science programs.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center officially broke ground in April of 2017 on the $119 million Balbach Global Center for Advanced Interprofessional Learning in Omaha. Serving as the headquarters for the Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning (iEXCEL), the four-story, 191,884-sf facility will feature simulation suites and virtual immersive reality environments for medical training. The ground floor of the building will be occupied by the National Center for Health Security and Biopreparedness.

Stockton University is building the $33.2 million Unified Science Center 2 in Galloway, N.J. The three-story, 58,210-sf facility will house teaching and research labs, a vivarium, a gross anatomy lab, a multipurpose room, a greenhouse, and faculty offices. The $15.2 million, 37,720-sf Health Sciences Center is also under construction and will provide simulation suites, an exercise science lab, and space for the sustainability program. Both projects are slated for occupancy in 2018.

The University of Texas at San Antonio is planning to begin construction in early 2018 on the $95 million Science and Engineering Building. Designed by TreanorHL and Alamo Architects to promote interaction and collaboration, the multidisciplinary facility will provide active learning classrooms, teaching labs, and faculty offices to support STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The University of Cincinnati Health is building the $60.5 million Gardner Neuroscience Institute in the Corryville area of Cincinnati. The 114,000-sf outpatient facility was designed by Perkins+Will to provide patient-centered neurological and psychiatric care. The four-story project will include an auditorium, a patient lounge, a café, an outdoor rehabilitation area, and an underground parking garage. Ground was broken on the facility in February of 2017 and occupancy is expected in 2019. The construction cost of the building is $26.6 million. 

The University of Sussex is planning to build the £60 million Life Sciences Building in Brighton in the United Kingdom. Designed by Hawkins Brown Architects, the 183,000-sf project includes the renovation of an existing genome research building and construction of a five-story addition housing technology-rich classrooms and collaborative laboratories for research and teaching. The sustainably designed facility will feature natural materials, green roofs, and internal courtyard atriums.

The Medical College of Georgia is engaged in a $62.5 million expansion of its cancer research facilities in Augusta. Designed to promote interaction between clinicians and researchers, the project includes the creation of a three-story facility housing offices and collaboration space connecting the M.

California State University, Dominguez Hills is partnering with the Toyota USA Foundation to build the Toyota Center for Innovation in STEM Education in Carson. Designed by HGA Architects with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant, the 87,000-sf facility will include a fabrication lab, SMART classrooms, collaborative workspaces, and labs for K-12 teacher training and demonstrations.

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin began construction in April of 2017 on a $55 million engineering building in Midland. Designed by Stantec and JSA Architects, the three-story, 105,800-gsf facility will provide laboratories, classrooms, a lecture hall, and faculty offices. The general contractor for the project is Adolfson and Peterson Construction. Completion is expected in April of 2019. 

Bentley University opened the renovated Jennison Hall in March of 2017 in Waltham, Mass. Designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, the $22.5 million project comprises 85,000 sf of space accommodating classrooms, labs, offices, and interaction areas.

The University of Tampa is planning to construct the 90,000-sf Graduate and Health Studies Building to accommodate programs in nursing and allied health professions. Designed by Beck Architecture and KWJ Architects, the six-story facility will also provide smart classrooms, simulation suites, conference rooms, faculty and administrative offices, health science labs, and study spaces. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is slated for completion in fall of 2018. 

Maker spaces, specifically designed to serve the needs of learners and best take advantage of local resources, are surpassing classrooms as the most effective way to educate science and engineering students. Students need access to a variety of equipment, technology, and spaces, from 3D and large format printers to sewing machines and electronic tables, from collaboration zones to woodworking areas.

The Rockefeller University is constructing the $300 million Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Research Building in New York. Designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, the two-story, 135,600-sf facility will provide flexible, open laboratories, two amphitheaters, offices, conference rooms, a dining area, outdoor terraces, and a green roof. Completion is expected in 2019.

Tarleton State University broke ground in late March of 2017 on a $54 million engineering building in Stephenville, Texas. Accommodating programs in computer science, engineering, and engineering technology, the three-story, 98,000-sf facility will feature specialized laboratories for robotics, prototyping, fluid dynamics, and materials testing. The project will also provide classrooms, offices, high-bay spaces, a flume, and a wind tunnel.

A dynamic, forward-looking partnership between the University of Michigan Medical School and the A. Alfred Taubman Health Sciences Library has transformed a relatively hidden, introverted, and utilitarian 1970s book repository into a vibrant 21st century learning hub. But the original goal of this $55 million renovation project was much more modest than a whole-building transformation: It was simply to improve the medical student lounge, a windowless basement space that with each passing year had become less inviting to prospective and current students, as other medical schools improved their student-life spaces.