Higher Education

With Florida International University’s Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences facility, student and faculty recruitment has exploded, and major donations are on the rise. Collocating five health science disciplines with nursing has been a boon to interprofessional collaboration, as has the inception of the Simulation Teaching and Research (STAR) center. But five years in the facility has taught Dr. Helen Cornely an important lesson: You can’t have too many electrical outlets or too much storage.

The University of Cincinnati has completed the fourth and fifth phases of a six-phase transformation of Rieveschl Hall. The renovation of the eight-story, 234,000-sf building has taken place over the course of four capital funding cycles. Phase 4 involved the 42,000-sf renovation of the Department of Biology’s sixth- and seventh-floor teaching and research labs, offices, and conference space.

Indiana State University will begin construction in summer of 2016 on a $64 million renovation and expansion of the existing Arena Building to create a new home for the College of Health and Human Services in Terre Haute. The project includes reconfiguration of interior space, significant upgrades to building systems and infrastructure, and construction of an 87,000-sf addition. Completion is expected in early 2019.

Webster University began construction in March of 2016 on the $44 million Interdisciplinary Science Building in St. Louis. Designed to accommodate STEAMM programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, math, and medicine, the collaborative facility will house the departments of Anthropology, Sociology, Biological Sciences, Nursing, Psychology, and International Languages and Cultures.

Augsburg College broke ground in April of 2016 on the $70 million Hagfors Center for Science, Business and Religion. The four-story, 135,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, labs, and offices for the departments of biology, business, chemistry, computer science, math, physics, psychology, and religion. The interdisciplinary project was designed by HGA Architects to provide maximum flexibility in an environment saturated with natural light.

Oregon Health & Sciences University began construction in January of 2016 on the $349 million Center for Health and Healing South in Portland, Ore. Designed by ZGF Architects and built by Hoffman Construction, the project includes a 14-story medical building and a 10-story mixed-use facility. The $160 Knight Cancer Institute will also be built on the South Waterfront Campus.

The University of Toronto’s new 110,000-sf, five-story Environmental Science and Chemistry Building (ESCB), on the suburban Scarborough, Ontario, campus, provides undergraduate students and faculty with labs that feature transparency, flexibility, and adaptability, with a modular design of open, double-sided benches. Benches and associated service columns can be removed and relocated as needed, so dry lab space can be easily converted to wet lab functions without renovations.

The University of Idaho is building the $50 million Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) on its Moscow campus. Featuring flexible laboratories for interdisciplinary research, the collaborative 70,000-sf project will include a state-of-the art visualization suite, offices, conference rooms, and core labs with shared equipment. Ground was broken on the center in August of 2014, and completion is expected in fall of 2016 with occupancy in early 2017. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Purdue University is planning to construct the $6 million Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility in West Lafayette, Ind. The 7,300-sf project will feature two large growth chambers linked to a series of automated imaging stations. The facility will provide uniform growth conditions, enabling researchers to control experimental variables. Construction is expected to begin in February of 2017 and reach completion in January of 2018.

The 11-story, 820,000-sf Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion (AHSP) integrates world-class patient care, medical research, and teaching in a highly collaborative environment. Designed to bridge the gap between discovery and patient care, this new facility—home of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, neurosciences programs, and stem cell research—puts research labs in close proximity to clinical settings, so physician-scientists can transform medical care at Cedars-Sinai.

In order to increase capacity, improve student/faculty ratios, and boost space utilization by 150 percent, Purdue University’s College of Engineering developed a five-year strategic plan for increasing efficiency and space on the College’s main campus. The plan—which was driven by the need to meet the goal of a 30 percent growth in engineering faculty and staff, along with growth of graduate and undergraduate students—combines a mix of strategies including renovation, portfolio rebalancing, and new construction.

Case Western Reserve University is partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to build the $515 million Health Education Campus in Cleveland. Designed by Foster + Partners of London, the four-story, 487,000-sf facility will provide technology-rich classrooms, simulation labs, and auditorium space for interdisciplinary medical education programs. Ground was broken on the project in October of 2015 with completion expected by summer of 2019.

The University of Texas Medical Branch dedicated the $438 million Jennie Sealy Hospital in Galveston in February of 2016. Housing 310 private inpatient rooms, the 12-story tower provides 20 operating rooms, including a neurosurgery suite with an integrated MRI. The hospital also accommodates a 54-bed ICU and a 28-bed outpatient surgery unit. Construction began on the project in April of 2012.

Concordia College will begin construction in April of 2016 on the $45 million Integrated Science Complex in Moorhead, Minn. Designed by Foss Architecture and EYP Architecture and Engineering, the project includes the renovation of the existing Ivers and Jones Science Center and construction of a three-story, 58,000-sf atrium. The complex will include 130,000 sf of renovated space accommodating 19 teaching labs and 16 classrooms, including T-search labs for integrated instructional and research activities.

Texas Tech University is renovating an 80,000-sf facility in Lubbock to create the Maddox Engineering Center. The $30 million project will provide classrooms, wet labs, and materials testing suites for the Edward E. Whitacre College of Engineering. A 25,000-sf materials characterization center, located in the basement, will be available for use by industry and academic partners. The project includes the complete renovation of a former mass communications building and the installation of new utilities, infrastructure, and finishes.