Vassar College completed construction in spring of 2016 on the $125 million Integrated Science Commons in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Designed by Ennead Architects, the project features the 82,000-sf Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, a teaching and research building that spans a ravine.
Stanford University has completed the implementation of a campus-wide energy system called Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI). Replacing an aging cogeneration plant that utilized fossil fuel with grid-sourced electricity and an advanced heat recovery system, SESI reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 68 percent, reduces fossil fuel use by 65 percent, and decreases water consumption by 15 percent. At the heart of the system is the 125,600-sf Central Energy Facility designed by ZGF.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has completed construction of a $54 million medical education center in Edinburg, Texas. The 88,260-gsf facility includes two buildings sited adjacent to the Edinburg Regional Academic Health Center. A three-story structure provides clinical simulation suites, digital anatomy labs, classrooms, conference rooms, and faculty offices. A freestanding single-story building houses study rooms, a student lounge, an auditorium, and a library learning center.
Yale University is planning to replace the J.W. Gibbs Laboratory on its New Haven campus with the 280,300-sf Yale Science Building. Located on Science Hill, the six-story facility will feature specialized research laboratories, underground core labs, a 500-seat lecture hall, and a shared commons area. A small greenhouse and a mechanical penthouse will be located on the roof. The Yale Science Building is being designed by Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects to attain LEED Gold sustainable design certification.
The University of California, San Francisco is planning to build the Weill Institute for Neurosciences on its Mission Bay campus. The facility will provide both research laboratories and clinical space, and is supported by a donation of $185 million by Sanford and Joan Weill. Accommodating 45 principal investigators, the collaborative project will integrate the disciplines of neurology, neuroscience, genomics, chemistry, computer science, psychiatry, and engineering.
The new Vicki Sara Building on the urban campus of the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, includes a massive “Super Lab”—a single open floor plate of more than 8,600 sf that serves 220 students in any configuration up to a maximum of 12 separate classes simultaneously. From 2,500 to 3,000 students, over several sessions a day, pass through the lab each week. Powered by IT integration, the Sydney facility serves students studying chemistry, biology, cell biology/biochemistry, physics, physiology, and pharmacy compounding.
Other building features include:
Chapman University broke ground on the $130 million Center for Science and Technology in late April of 2016 in Orange, Calif. Accommodating the Schmid College of Science and Technology and the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, the three-story, 140,000-sf facility will provide advanced teaching and research space for biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, math, computational science, food science, psychology, and health science.
Assumption College broke ground in April of 2016 on a $15 million, 60,000-sf academic building in Worcester, Mass. Designed by Nault Architects, the facility will provide seminar rooms, study areas, a technology-rich performance hall with 400 seats, and 13 classrooms for team-based learning. Occupancy of the sustainably designed building is expected in fall of 2017.
Signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment pledge is one thing, but complying with it is quite another. At the University of Pennsylvania, compliance meant renovating the HVAC systems in a 140,000-gsf chemistry research and teaching facility built in 1973. Converting the building’s constant-volume ventilation system, which provided 22 air changes per hour (ACH) 24 hours a day, to a variable-volume system providing 4 to 12 ACH would yield massive energy savings. The catch? Doing it without kicking anyone out.
The University of Sydney opened the AUD$150 million Sydney Nanoscience Hub in April of 2016. Housing the Australian Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology (AINST), the facility features ISO Class 5 and Class 7 cleanrooms to support advanced research in photonics, engineered quantum systems, and energy technologies. Providing core labs as well as teaching space, the Nanoscience Hub accommodates device design, fabrication, and testing in a single location.
Loyola University Chicago opened the $137 million Center for Translational Research and Education in April of 2016. Created in partnership with Trinity Health, the five-story, 225,000-sf facility provides teaching and research space for the Stritch School of Medicine, the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, and Loyola University Health System.
The University of Cambridge opened the $40 million Maxwell Centre in April of 2016 in the United Kingdom. Designed to promote the commercialization of new technologies, the 53,800-sf project provides the Cavendish Laboratory with advanced research space for engineering, physical science, and materials science integrated with facilities for industry partners. The building features a layered lab structure that allows alterations to individual labs without the need for further renovations.
The University of Pennsylvania dedicated the $68.6 million Stephen A. Levin Building in April of 2016 in Philadelphia. Designed by SmithGroupJJR, the six-story, 78,000-sf facility accommodates collaborative research in the neural and behavioral sciences. The interdisciplinary project connects two existing structures and houses classrooms, laboratories, offices, study areas, interaction space, and a 170-seat auditorium.
At the inception of a new interdisciplinary science building, bricks-and-mortar considerations must take a back seat to a big-picture view of issues related to organization, funding, governance, and the long-range vision of the institution. The resolution of these issues early on leads to projects that are more successful—not necessarily in terms of cost savings, but in the essential criterion of aligning a new facility with specific academic strengths and the broader institutional mission.
Howard University opened the $70 million Interdisciplinary Research Building in Washington in April of 2016. Designed by HDR in association with Lance Bailey and Associates, the collaborative 81,670-sf facility provides laboratories, offices, conference rooms, and a Class 10 cleanroom. General contractor Turner Construction broke ground on the project in spring of 2013.
