Higher Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology will begin construction in summer of 2015 on the $350 million MIT.nano in Cambridge. The 200,000-sf interdisciplinary project is being designed by Wilson Architects to accommodate advanced research in nanoscale materials and processes. The four-story facility will include one floor of teaching labs and two interconnected cleanroom lab floors with prototyping areas, fabrication suites, materials growth labs, and support.

Texas A&M University broke ground on a $120 million expansion and renovation of the Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences Education Complex in late April of 2014 in College Station. Designed by SHW Group, the project includes construction of a 330,000-sf facility providing flexible classrooms and laboratories for teaching and research. The existing Small Animal Hospital will also be renovated and expanded. The $93 million construction contract has been awarded to Skanska USA Building and completion is expected in April of 2016.

Vanderbilt University broke ground in May of 2014 on the $109 million Science and Engineering Building in Nashville, Tenn. The seven-story, 230,000-sf facility will be physically connected by a two-story atrium to the adjacent Olin Hall. Designed by Wilson Architects, the interdisciplinary building will include a cleanroom, advanced imaging facilities, research labs, a student commons, and the Innovation Center to support technology transfer and commercialization.

Hartnell College broke ground on a new science building in April of 2014 in Salinas, Calif. Supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, the 56,000-sf, two-story facility will provide 10 labs, six classrooms, and a planetarium. The project contractor is Dilbeck and Sons of Salinas and the value of the construction contract is $23.9 million. Research Facilities Design (RFD) is the laboratory design consultant. Completion is expected in spring of 2016.

The University of Washington is planning to build the Animal Research and Care Facility in Seattle. The two-story, subterranean building will provide flexible housing for rodents, pigs, dogs, and non-human primates. Providing approximately 83,000 gsf below grade and 3,000 gsf above grade, the facility will include laboratories, procedure rooms, imaging suites, cage and equipment wash, storage, and other support spaces. The $123.5 million project will consolidate the University’s existing animal research operations into one centralized facility.

Carefully coordinated stakeholder engagement is critical in the design and redevelopment of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) facilities. Effective buildings for the teaching of STEM disciplines are designed by understanding the desired pedagogy, and by enlisting faculty throughout the process to help align the resulting facilities with a school’s culture and mission, according to Christopher Chivetta of Hastings+Chivetta Architects and Stephanie Fabritius, vice president for academic affairs and dean of Centre College in Danville, Ky.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Washburn University broke ground in April of 2014 on the $55 million KBI Forensic Science Center in Topeka. The three-story, 100,000-sf facility will house the state crime laboratory and space for the departments of chemistry, toxicology, biology, DNA, firearm/tool mark, trace evidence, latent prints, and digital forensics. Supporting Washburn University’s programs in forensic chemical science, criminal justice, and forensic anthropology, the building will include classrooms, labs, and offices.

Froedert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin are building the Center for Advanced Care in Wauwatosa, Wis. The eight-story teaching hospital will enable Froedert to consolidate all surgical procedures in a single location and will house the Heart and Vascular Center, the Transplant Center, and Preoperative Outpatient Management. The facility will also provide simulation suites, anatomy labs, and team-based learning areas. The project is being built with three floors of shell space to accommodate future growth and a mechanical level.

The University of Chicago is building the $215 million William Eckhardt Research Center for the Institute for Molecular Engineering. The 265,000-sf facility will house the 12,000-sf Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility and laboratories for astronomy, chemistry, physics, and astrophysics. Providing integrated research offices, conference rooms, interaction space, and an atrium, the seven-story project includes two floors below grade with low-vibration cleanrooms and molecular imaging suites. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The University of North Dakota began site work in April of 2014 on a $124 million facility for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Grand Forks, N.D. The 320,000-gsf building was designed by JLG Architects working in collaboration with Perkins+Will and Steinberg Architects. Located on an 8.3-acre site, the footprint of the four-story medical school is 78,000 sf.

The kind of technology prevalent in today’s health sciences education requires a robust infrastructure that must be figured into a facility’s design during the budgeting and planning stages. Virtual simulation, virtual anatomy, tablet computers, 3-D stereographic display, software tools for collaboration, and touch interaction with LCD monitors—even the tried-and-true classroom technology, such as whiteboards, videoconferencing, telephone conferencing, dual-image large screen projection, large screen LCD monitors, and connectivity for personal devices—all require thoughtful consideration.

St. Jerome’s University broke ground in April of 2014 on a $47 million expansion in Waterloo, Ontario. The campus renewal project includes construction of a two-story, 22,464-sf academic facility and a seven-story, 360-bed student residence. Diamond Schmitt Architects, Graham Construction, and St. Jerome’s are pursuing an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model to optimize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction.

The University of Texas broke ground in April of 2014 on a $334 million campus for the Dell Medical School in Austin. The 515,000-sf project will provide teaching, research, and administrative facilities, as well as a medical office building and a parking garage. The general contractor for the campus is JE Dunn and completion is expected by fall of 2016. Project partners Seton Health and Central Health will build an adjacent teaching hospital, the $295 million, 211-bed Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas.

Dalton State College will dedicate the 58,000-sf Shelby and Willena Peeples Hall in May of 2014 in Dalton, Ga. The $15 million facility will house chemistry and biology labs, dedicated undergraduate research labs, and instructional space for the School of Science, Technology and Mathematics. The project team included architectural firm Lord Aeck Sargent, design consultant Gregg Sims, and general contractor New South Construction. Occupancy is expected in early fall of 2014.

Rochester Institute of Technology broke ground on the Clinical Health Sciences Center in April of 2014 in Henrietta, N.Y. Accommodating programs for the College of Health Sciences and Technology, the 45,000-sf facility will include dedicated space for the new Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition as well as housing a primary care clinic operated by Rochester General Health System. Constructed as an addition to the existing Louise M.