Higher Education

Grand Valley State University dedicated the $55 million P. Douglas Kindschi Hall of Science in August of 2015 in Allendale, Mich. The four-story, 152,000-sf facility provides 15 teaching labs, 14 research labs, nine classrooms, conference rooms, study areas, a computational lab, and a 3,000-sf greenhouse. Research Facilities Design was the laboratory design consultant for the facility, which features interactive labs supporting a shared functionality in which faculty and students can engage in collaborative projects.

Olympic College will begin construction in October of 2015 on a $50.1 million academic building in Bremerton, Wash. Designed by Schacht Aslani Architects, the three-story, 70,000-sf building will feature an active learning classroom, a 276-seat theater, a two-story atrium, and instructional space for health science, music, and fine art. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which will utilize LED lighting, a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array, and 90 percent heat recovery.

A new master space plan for the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences leverages program adjacencies and shared infrastructure to improve collaborative interdisciplinary research while maximizing space use. This “soft growth” renovation approach allows the college to increase capacity and improve efficiency without demolishing or adding new buildings.

Chesapeake College opened the $37 million Health Professions and Athletics Center in August of 2015 in Wye Mills, Md. Designed by Marshall Craft Associates of Baltimore, the 100,000-sf facility features technology-rich simulators for the school's health science programs to accommodate courses in phlebotomy, emergency medical care, surgical technology, radioactive science, and nursing and dental assistance. The ground floor houses an athletics center with classrooms, an exercise studio, a gym, and a multipurpose room.

George Mason University is building a $73 million health sciences facility in Fairfax, Va. Housing the College of Health and Human Services, the 160,000-sf building will include clinical space, teaching labs, and a kitchen for programs in nutritional science. The facility will support a team-based model of healthcare with professionals from different disciplines collaborating in patient diagnosis and treatment. Ground was broken on the project in summer of 2015 with completion expected in 2017.

Belmont College opened its $10 million Health Sciences Center in August of 2015 in St. Clairsville, Ohio. The 27,648-sf project will provide collaborative, technology-rich instructional spaces including a SMART 360 classroom, simulation training suites, and labs for biology, anatomy, and chemistry. Accommodating programs in Allied Health, the facility will house three general-purpose classrooms, faculty offices, and a student commons.

Texas A&M University opened an 11,000-sf avian health complex for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in August of 2015. Located in College Station, the climate-controlled aviary facility provides a BSL-2 biocontainment lab, a bird hospital, quarantine suites, three isolation rooms, classrooms, and offices.

Lorain County Community College’s new 53,000-gsf Laboratory Sciences Building houses facilities for the departments of biology, chemistry, and physics, with 24-person teaching labs and lab support rooms, a student commons, break-out space designed to serve as open study space, and a rooftop teaching greenhouse.

The College of New Jersey is planning to build a facility for STEM education in Ewing to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering, the 89,000-sf project will feature collaborative research suites for biomedical engineering and computer science, as well as labs for physiology, robotics, system dynamics, and thermo-fluids. The facility will include a high-performance computing cluster, a mechanical engineering design studio, and a metal fabrication and assembly workshop.

Clayton State University opened its $18 million Science Building in August of 2015 in Morrow, Ga. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 58,610-sf facility provides eight research labs, eight teaching labs, two 64-seat classrooms, two 36-seat classrooms, and two seminar rooms. The three-story building houses stacked biology and chemistry suites, each integrating research, prep, and teaching space.

Stephen F. Austin State University has selected Kirksey Architecture of Houston to design a $46.4 million STEM building in Nacogdoches, Texas. The collaborative learning facility will accommodate programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The construction manager for the project is J.E. Kingham Construction Company.

Houston Community College’s medical training school, Coleman College for Health Sciences, will break ground in fall of 2015 on a $120 million expansion of its campus at the Texas Medical Center. Designed by HDR Inc., the 10-story, 248,000-sf Coleman Healthcare Educational Facility will provide classrooms, clinical skills suites, simulation labs, faculty and administrative offices, an auditorium, and a student services center. The construction manager for the project is Tellepsen Builders. Completion is expected in summer of 2017.

The University of Sheffield is planning to build the $25 million Structural Dynamics Laboratory for Verification and Validation in the United Kingdom. Located in the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the facility will enable industry and academia to engage in collaborative research and development in the field of structural dynamics. Enabling full-scale testing of engineering structures, systems, and components, the project will feature a modular environmental chamber with sophisticated controls for humidity, temperature, wind speed, and weather conditions.

Muskegon Community College will renovate two historic structures to create its new engineering campus in downtown Muskegon, Mich. Designed by C2AE and MMA Architects, the project will transform the existing Muskegon Chronicle Building and the adjacent Masonic Temple into a vibrant and transparent facility for learning.

The University of Missouri opened the MU Metagenomics Center in August of 2015 in Columbia. The laboratory is located in a shared 60,000-sf facility at the Discovery Ridge Research Park and will serve as a comprehensive resource for microbiological research. Featuring advanced technologies for DNA extraction, RNA sequencing, and informatics analysis, the center will process samples of microbiota obtained from humans, animals, plants, and soil.