Higher Education

The University of Waterloo broke ground on the $18.6 million Applied Health Sciences facility in December of 2014. Designed by IBI Group Architects, the four-story, 56,000-sf project will be constructed as an expansion of the existing B.C. Matthews Hall and the adjoining Lyle S. Hallman Institute. The addition will provide a 350-seat lecture hall and technology-rich teaching laboratories, including labs for anatomy and kinesiology. The general contractor is Melloul Blamey Construction. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2016.

The University of Utah will renovate the existing 71,000-sf George Thomas building to create the Gary & Ann Crocker Science Center in Salt Lake City. The existing structure will be seismically upgraded and reconfigured, and a 52,500-sf addition will be built to accommodate laboratories for the Cell and Genome Research Center. The completed four-story, 123,500-sf facility will also provide lecture halls, classrooms, a café, a business incubator, and a full-height atrium. The project team includes EDA Architects and Okland Construction.

The University of Cambridge has awarded Kier Group a $91 million contract to build a new biomedical laboratory in the United Kingdom. The project will provide up to 180,000 sf of research space and will be located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Site work will begin in mid-2015 with completion expected in summer of 2017.

Carthage College is engaged in a $43 million expansion and renovation of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Natural and Social Sciences in Kenosha, Wis. A 35,000-sf wing will be constructed and the existing 70,000-sf facility will undergo major renovations. The completed center will feature multidisciplinary teaching labs, TEAL (Technology Enhanced Active Learning) classrooms, a two-story glass atrium, a 28-seat planetarium, and 12 interdisciplinary labs for the study of materials science, nanotechnology, engineering design, molecular biology, and atomic microscopy.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will begin construction in early 2015 on a $50 million instructional facility for the School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. Located in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, the 168,000-sf building is designed to support one of the most advanced medical school curriculums in the country and will include technology-rich clinical simulation suites, small group learning spaces, an anatomy lab, offices, and meeting rooms. Occupancy is expected in July of 2016. The project developer is Wexford Science + Technology, LLC.

Missouri State University is building the $14.1 million O’Reilly Clinical Health Science Center in Springfield. The 55,000-sf facility will provide medical training labs, mannequin simulation suites, classrooms, offices, group study areas, and a multidisciplinary health clinic. The general contractor for the project is DeWitt & Associates. Completion is expected in fall of 2015.

Collin College is building the 125,000-sf Cary A. Israel Health Sciences Center on the Central Park Campus in McKinney, Texas. Designed by PBK Architects, the three-story facility features an advanced clinical simulation center, an 150-seat lecture hall, classrooms, offices, and medical training labs for programs in nursing, emergency services, surgical technology, and respiratory care. Built by Pogue Construction at a cost of $44 million, the project includes a central plant and a 25,000-sf conference center.

The University of Edinburgh will break ground in February of 2015 on a $50 million expansion of its Easter Bush campus. Designed by Atkins Global, the project is part of the University's master plan to create the European Centre of Excellence in Animal Sciences and Food Security and comprises an innovation center, a campus hub, and a multistory atrium.

The new home for the School of Nursing on Yale University’s West Campus creates a state-of-the-art facility that supports an increase in the school’s class size beyond 350 students. The project accommodates all of the nursing school’s programs, including teaching, research, and administrative spaces, which had outgrown their prior home at the Medical Campus.

The University of Illinois officially broke ground on the $24 million Integrated Bioprocessing Laboratory in Urbana in October of 2014. Part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, the facility will feature a biofuels pilot plant for UI's Center for BioEnergy Research. Supporting collaborative development with industry partners, the 43,000-sf lab will provide two classrooms, flexible processing suites with moveable walls, and 300-liter fermenters for biofuels testing.

Texas A&M University broke ground on the $53 million Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in November of 2014. The 90,000-sf facility will house advanced technologies for sample testing to support animal and human health as well as food safety. Designed by Perkins+Will, the project will feature integrated laboratories, a full-service necropsy suite, and BSL-2 and BSL-3 areas. Vaughn Construction will begin building the facility in spring of 2015 with completion in approximately 18 months.

Davidson College began site work for its $74 million science center in November of 2014. The interdisciplinary project includes 120,000 sf of new construction comprising a multistory atrium and a two-wing expansion of the existing Martin Laboratory, which will be completely renovated. The departments of biology, chemistry, environmental science, psychology, and neuroscience will occupy the building, which will include 20 teaching labs, 34 research labs, 47 faculty offices, five learning environments, an open forum space, and a shared commons for faculty and students.

Michigan State University is constructing the $61 million Bio Engineering Facility in East Lansing. Designed to support interdisciplinary biomedical research, the 130,000-sf building will provide open laboratories and offices for faculty from the colleges of Engineering, Human Medicine, and Natural Science. The sustainably designed facility will be physically connected to the existing Clinical Center C-Wing and Life Sciences B-Wing with proximity to the Radiology Building. Ground was broken on the project in June of 2013 with occupancy expected in fall of 2015.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis will begin construction in early 2015 on the $17 million Patient Care Center. The 48,000-sf facility will provide individual and group learning areas for the colleges of Optometry and Nursing and 35,000 sf of clinical space for eye and primary care. Designed by HOK, the project features student-faculty consultation rooms located within each of the four clinical areas. Occupancy is expected in summer of 2016.

Dalhousie University opened the Zebrafish Core Facility in October of 2014 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Located in the Life Sciences Research Institute, the $1.8 million laboratory will support interdisciplinary biomedical research on cancer, neuroscience, and genetics. Housing up to 75,000 adult fish, the 4,000-sf facility features a molecular lab and specialized rooms for cell and tissue studies.