Higher Education

Suffolk University’s new 110,000-sf, 10-story academic building, 20 Somerset Street, contains four floors of general classroom space topped by four floors of lab space—1,100 classroom seats in all—in addition to a first-floor, 200-seat cafeteria that doubles as a function room. In the middle is a floor dedicated to student support services, including computer labs and a learning center. The building houses the university’s physics, chemistry, and biology departments, as well as the journalism and communications department and faculty offices.

Texas Southern University opened the Interdisciplinary Health Professions Practice and Simulation Complex in Houston in October of 2015. Providing classrooms and labs for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the technology-rich facility features the 20,000-sf Health Professions Simulation Center, which includes training suites for all major hospital functions including a pharmacy, a nursing unit, a clinical lab, a respiratory therapy room, and medical records department.

The University of Washington is planning to build the Nanoengineering & Sciences Building in Seattle. Designed by ZGF, the 78,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide approximately 43,000 ASF of research space for the departments of bioengineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and materials sciences.

Swarthmore College will begin construction in spring of 2017 on the $120 million Biology, Engineering, and Psychology Building (BEP) in Swarthmore, Pa. The facility will be developed according to the College’s Environmental Sustainability Framework, a standard equivalent to LEED Platinum, with some elements exceeding LEED Platinum criteria. The project will utilize sophisticated energy modeling technologies to optimize post-occupancy performance and will include an extensive geothermal system. Completion is expected in August of 2020.

San Diego State University broke ground on the $90 million Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex in November of 2015. Designed by AC Martin to promote interaction and collaboration, the five-story, 85,000-sf facility will provide 11,500 sf of instructional space, 17 multidisciplinary labs with advanced instrumentation, and an entrepreneurship innovation center.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will begin construction in January of 2016 on the $28 million Advanced Aerodynamics Laboratory and Wind Tunnel in Daytona Beach, Fla. Located at the school's research park, the 50,000-sf project will support collaborative R&D with industry partners in areas including aviation, engineering, unmanned systems, and advanced materials.

Purdue University broke ground in November of 2015 on two facilities for the Department of Animal Sciences in West Lafayette, Ind. The three-story, 90,000-sf Hobart and Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences will provide research laboratories, classrooms designed for interactive and team-based learning, conference rooms for extension activities, and open spaces to facilitate faculty and student interactions.

An explosion in computation and large data set analyses is challenging the nature and processes of translational research, significantly impacting how such institutions plan for space needs. The link between strategic planning, programming, and design is much more dynamic, and requires faster feedback and the development of new metrics to drive value creation through strategic planning.

"That increase in computation has a significant impact on how we strategically plan for translational research,” says Andy Snyder, AIA, principal/architect at NBBJ.

Dow Chemical Company will begin construction in late 2015 on the 145,300-sf Middle East Research and Development Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Designed to attain LEED Silver sustainable design certification, the facility will feature laboratories for the creation of advanced technologies for water, oil, and gas processing as well as the development of innovative construction materials and coatings.

Northern Kentucky University began construction in October of 2015 on the $97 million Health Innovation Center in Highland Heights. Designed by CO Architects of Los Angeles and GBBN Architects of Cincinnati, the 95,500-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide the College of Health Professions with advanced classrooms, laboratories, and offices. The $8 million St. Elizabeth Healthcare Simulation Center will also be located in the building.

UMass Dartmouth broke ground in October of 2015 on a $55 million facility for the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) in New Bedford. Designed by Ellenzweig, the 76,000-sf project will provide collaborative research space for the study of oceanography, climate change, coastal preservation, renewable energy, and commercial fishing methods. Created in partnership with the state Division of Marine Fisheries, the building will feature a seawater research lab and a high bay area.

Texas Tech opened the $14.3 million Bayer Plant Science building in October of 2015 in Lubbock, Texas. Accommodating programs for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the 21,000-sf facility provides open teaching and research labs, 11 faculty offices, 22 graduate student spaces, conference rooms, and support. The project was funded in part by Bayer CropScience and features specialized areas for plant and soil science classes as well as a courtyard for outdoor learning.

The National University of Ireland celebrated the opening of a $22 million biomedical research facility at University Hospital Galway in late September of 2015. Housing the Lamb Institute for Translational Research and the Health Research Board's Clinical Research Facility, the five-story, 57,500-gsf project features open, flexible laboratories designed to promote interaction and collaboration. Construction began on the facility in fall of 2013. The general contractor for the project was BAM Construction. 

The renewed emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education has forced colleges and universities to develop more project-based learning spaces, but critical details need to be addressed in order to maximize the success of the five basic lab types found in great STEM facilities, according to architects with EYP Architecture & Engineering.

George Washington University’s new Science and Engineering Hall (SEH) accommodates interdisciplinary collaboration with wet and dry research and teaching labs, and specialized spaces that include a microscopy center, a Class 100 nanofabrication facility, a three-story high-bay laboratory, electrical and machine shops, cold rooms, and cleanrooms. A multi-use auditorium and a media center can be used to host national science symposia and conferences.