Higher Education

The University of Rochester is building the $25 million Wegmans Hall in Rochester, N.Y. Housing the Goergen Institute for Data Science, the four-story, 58,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide laboratories, classrooms, collaborative work zones, a large auditorium, and faculty and staff offices. LEED Silver sustainable design will be sought for the project, which will be dedicated in October of 2016 with occupancy expected in winter of 2017.

The University of Saskatchewan has renovated and modernized its health sciences education and research facilities to accommodate shared operations, space, and technology, using change management strategies to help faculty, staff, and students move from silos to a team-based model. The transformation incorporates institutional, as well as physical, changes, including restructuring established administrative processes and hierarchies.

The University of Wyoming’s three-story, 107,000-sf Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility houses nearly 36,000 nsf of laboratory and laboratory support space for the departments of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Physics & Astronomy. Facilities include 32 undergraduate teaching labs for first- and second-year STEM courses. Virtually every UW student will take several classes in the building, which can accommodate 900 students at a time.

Columbia University Medical Center dedicated the $70 million Vagelos Education Center in June of 2016 in New York City. Designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with executive architect Gensler, the 14-story, 100,000-sf facility provides technology-rich classrooms, an advanced simulation center, collaborative learning areas, a 275-seat auditorium, a café, and a student commons. LEED Gold certification will be sought for the project, which features a transparent design with abundant natural light.

The University of Michigan is constructing the $261 million Biological Science Building in Ann Arbor. Designed by SmithGroup JJR and Ennead Architects, the 300,000-gsf facility will provide open, flexible laboratories for collaborative research as well as classrooms, offices, and a vivarium. The building is sited adjacent to the existing Life Sciences Institute to which it will physically connect. The general contractor for the project is Barton Malow Company and completion is expected in 2018.

The College of St. Scholastica opened the $17.1 million Health Science Pavilion in August of 2015 in Duluth, Minn. Located in the BlueStone business park, the three-story, 45,000-sf project provides labs and classrooms for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs. Designed by HGA of Minneapolis and built by McGough Construction of St. Paul, the pavilion features an interdisciplinary health clinic to support experiential learning. Ground was broken on the project in August of 2015.

The University of Notre Dame opened the $36 million Turbomachinery Facility in June of 2016 in South Bend, Ind. Created in collaboration with General Electric, Indiana Michigan Power, and other industry partners, the 25,000-sf research and testing center will support the development of advanced gas turbine engine technologies. The project features full-scale simulated operating environments, including a $7.5 million, 10-megawatt jet propulsion engine rig, and will act as a Center of Excellence for Pratt & Whitney.

The University of Calgary, already a major research institution, is pushing to become one of Canada’s top five research universities, with construction of the Energy Environment Experiential Learning Building (EEEL). Completed in 2011, the 263,000-sf EEEL is host to science and engineering, with three departments each operating from 38 instructional labs and 15 research labs. The EEEL utilizes a basic laboratory module in a big box with a hollow core, and a floor plate about the size of a Canadian football field, wrapped in a glass curtain wall.

Queen’s University Belfast is building the $55 million School of Biological Sciences in the United Kingdom. Providing advanced teaching and research facilities, the 118,400-sf project will support programs in food science, agriculture, infectious diseases, environmental science, and waste management. Designed by Scott Tallon Walker, the facility will house the Institute for Global Food Security as well as accommodating the School of Biological Sciences’ 170 staff and 750 students.

Augustana University is building the $35 million Froiland Science Complex in Sioux Falls, S.D. Designed by SmithGroupJJR and TSP, the project includes 43,000 sf of new construction as well as renovation of the Gilbert Science Center. Accommodating programs in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics, the complex is designed to put science on display and will feature ‘classatories’ or conjoined classroom/lab spaces.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point broke ground on its $75 million Science Building in May of 2016. Designed by HOK and Potter Lawson to promote visibility and transparency, the four-story, 176,500-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs for biology and chemistry. Flexible instructional spaces with moveable furniture will accommodate a variety of learning styles in two 98-seat lecture halls, three 48-seat classrooms, and two 24-seat classrooms.

One might not typically associate North Dakota with the future of medical professional education and with fair reason: It is one of the least populated states in America to be home to a full medical school. But that perception may soon change, thanks to the University of North Dakota’s new School of Medicine and Health Sciences facility, opening this summer, which aims to move from aging, closed, and fixed learning spaces to open and adaptive, technology-integrated, interdisciplinary spaces.

Banner-University Medical Center broke ground in May of 2016 on a $500 million hospital complex in Tucson. A 670,000-sf, nine-story tower will provide 200 private patient rooms, laboratories, operating rooms, diagnostic suites, and a cafeteria. A three-story outpatient clinic accommodating medical specialties, radiation oncology, and medical imaging will also be constructed. The $100 million clinic is slated for completion by early 2018, with the $400 million patient tower opening in early 2019.

Plymouth University is constructing the $22 million Derriford Research Facility at Plymouth Science Park in the United Kingdom. Housing advanced biomedical laboratories for the Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, the 25,000-sf project will support clinical collaboration with the adjacent Derriford Hospital for the development of translational therapies. The facility will accommodate research on infectious diseases including Ebola and bovine TB as well as conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's disease, and cancer.

Rutgers University broke ground on the $84 million Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering in May of 2016. The 105,000-sf facility represents the first phase of a planned engineering complex and will act as a gateway to the Busch campus in Piscataway, N.J. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the interdisciplinary teaching and research building will provide smart classrooms, wet and dry labs, a cleanroom, a high bay lab, offices, conference rooms, interaction space, and a team-based learning (TBL) lecture hall.