Higher Education

The University of Toronto opened the $52.7 million Environmental Science and Chemistry Building in January of 2016. Located on the Scarborough campus in Toronto, the 110,000-sf facility was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and delivered with design-build construction partner EllisDon. Providing flexible teaching and research space for the study of climate change and environmental science, the five-story collaborative building houses classrooms, laboratories, and academic offices connected by a skylit forum and crossroads.

VU University Medical Center will begin construction in March of 2016 on the 172,222-sf VUmc Imaging Center Amsterdam. Providing flexible laboratories for biomedical research, the six-story facility will promote interaction and collaboration by collocating the hospital's radiology and nuclear medicine departments in a single location. The sustainably designed project will be constructed to attain a BREEAM Very Good rating by a joint venture of De Beeldbouwers VOF and Ballast Nedam.

Assumption College is planning to construct a $20 million academic facility in Worcester, Mass. The three-story, 60,000-sf building will provide classrooms, offices, a function hall, and an auditorium. The civil design firm for the project is Quinn Engineering.

Research confirms that active and engaging university classrooms improve learning outcomes, but what features produce the most positive—and cost-effective—results? Surprisingly, perhaps, advanced technology is not nearly as high on the list of success factors as whiteboards, flexible furniture, and other space-related amenities.

Duke University has resurrected an outdated chemistry lab building slated for demolition, and transformed it into an interdisciplinary hub for research and teaching in engineering, sciences, and social sciences. A two-story central atrium (pictured above) forms a focal point around which most other spaces are organized: classroom and academic areas, research labs, break spaces, and conference rooms.

Texas A&M University broke ground on the $12.6 million Human Clinical Research Facility in January of 2016. Located on the west campus in Canyon, Texas, the 20,000-sf project will accommodate clinical trials and programs for the College of Education and Human Development. Designed by PBK Architects, the facility will house the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory and the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity.

Fanshawe College is creating a new campus in downtown London, Ontario. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with Philip Agar, the facility will house the college’s IT, hospitality, and tourism programs. The project team includes construction manager EllisDon and consulting firms Amec Foster Wheeler, Development Engineering, Hastings & Aziz, and Smith + Andersen. Completion is expected in 2018.

The University of Cambridge is planning to relocate the Cavendish Laboratory to its West Cambridge campus in the United Kingdom. The $100 million replacement facility will feature a cleanroom, research laboratories, instructional space, and large-scale experimental chambers. The project team includes design architect Jestico + Whiles, project manager Sweett, engineering consultant Ramboll, and cost management consultant Aecom. Occupancy is expected in 2020.

The University of Texas at Dallas opened the $108 million Bioengineering and Sciences facility in June of 2016. Designed to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 220,000-sf project is physically connected to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Laboratory. The facility provides classrooms, faculty offices, and teaching and research labs for programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and electrical and mechanical engineering. Construction began on the project in late 2013.

Collin College opened the Cary A. Israel Health Sciences Center in January of 2016. Located on the Central Park campus in McKinney, Texas, the 125,000-sf facility provides classrooms, offices, and laboratories for programs in nursing, surgical technology, emergency services, respiratory care, and sleep disorders therapy. Designed by PBK Architects and built by Pogue Construction, the three-story project features a large simulation training center with advanced patient simulators and a 150-seat lecture hall.

The University of Wyoming opened the $50 million Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility in Laramie in January of 2016. Designed to promote team-based, interactive learning, the 107,000-sf building features studio-style classrooms and an atrium commons area. The three-story facility provides 32 teaching labs for instruction in chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, physics, mathematics, life sciences, and computer science. The building also houses an atmospheric sciences lab to support collaborative research with the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne.

Bellevue College opened its $21.8 million Health Sciences Building in December of 2015 in Bellevue, Wash. Designed by LMN Architects and built by Bayley Construction, the 70,500-sf facility provides classrooms and teaching labs for programs in imaging and nursing, as well as academic and administrative offices. The Health Sciences Building features a five-room simulation training lab and two clinical skills labs with a total of 20 hospital beds.

Hudson County Community College is constructing the $25 million Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics building on its Jersey City campus. The 70,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, science labs, lecture halls, offices, computer labs, student lounges, and a café. Occupancy is expected in 2017.

Complex technology, expanding program, and increasingly specialized and segmented roles and responsibilities often create a disconnect in the process of designing and building sophisticated facilities. The result can be a research or diagnostic lab or high-containment animal building that becomes a burden to the owner, whether because it hasn’t been right-sized, is not energy efficient, or operates with sub-par reliability. The solution is to assign someone the task of aligning design decisions with the building’s ultimate scientific mission.

Coppin State University’s new four-story Science and Technology Center houses the Math/Computer Science Department, the Natural Sciences Department, and research space for faculty and advanced undergraduate students. It also contains the campus-wide IT Department, along with a major campus data center. General classrooms and computer labs on the lower level of the building are open to the entire campus, along with an exhibit space and a 100-student lecture hall. Other features include an outdoor garden classroom, green roof, and technologically enhanced collaboration spaces.