Higher Education

The University of Notre Dame broke ground on McCourtney Hall in October of 2014. The 220,000-sf research facility will house the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Comprising two wings connected by a collaborative core of faculty offices and conference rooms, the three-story building will provide 100,000 sf of open lab space. Construction of the facility is funded in part by a $35 million philanthropic contribution. Completion is expected in June of 2016.

The University of Bath opened the HIVE research facility in September of 2014 in Swindon, U.K. Located in the Building Research Park, the $1.6 million project will support energy efficiency testing for construction materials. The performance of building systems and structural elements can be evaluated in eight individual cells with partial exposure to the external environment. Facilities include a hygrothermal cell for heat and moisture studies, a double-height flexible construction design cell, and a flood cell for water resistance research.

Westfield State University broke ground on a $33 million science center in September of 2014 in Westfield, Mass. The 54,000-sf academic facility will house laboratories, medical simulation suites, and a technology-rich interdisciplinary classroom. The existing Wilson Hall will also be renovated. The project team includes architect Cambridge Seven Associates and general contractor Walsh Brothers Construction. Completion is expected in August of 2016.

Kean University is constructing the Green Lane Academic Building in Union, N.J. Designed by Gruskin Group, the 114,700-sf teaching and research facility will accommodate programs in health and computer sciences. The six-story project will feature a 500-seat auditorium, technology-rich classrooms, and collaborative study lounges. Completion is expected in July of 2015.

Central Michigan University began construction in September of 2014 on the $95 million Biosciences Building in Mount Pleasant. Designed by Stantec, the four-story, 169,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, research labs, a BSL-3 suite, lecture halls, classrooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, an herbarium, an imaging center, and an aquatic research vivarium. Occupancy is expected in January of 2017. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is is being built by Clark Construction.

As health science education becomes increasingly interprofessional, the design of academic medical facilities is changing to reflect this new type of learning. Collaboration is the cornerstone of interprofessional medicine, as health care providers strive to offer the best patient care. Nurturing such collaboration begins in the educational facilities where students from multiple disciplines learn the importance of working together.

The five-story, 70,000-sf Duke Environment Hall, home of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, serves as a living laboratory of sustainable design. The building, which is tracking LEED Platinum, houses the rapidly expanding undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in the Environmental Sciences and Policy program.

SUNY New Paltz broke ground on a $48 million science building in September of 2014. Designed by ZGF Architects, the two-story, 77,000-sf facility will provide classrooms and labs for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. Completion is expected in January of 2017. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Murray State University broke ground on the new Breathitt Veterinary Center in September of 2014. Located in Hopkinsville, Ky., the $32.4 million facility will provide laboratories for pathology, virology, toxicology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, histology, serology, and molecular diagnostics. Replacing the state’s existing animal disease diagnostic lab, the 53,000-sf project will include a BSL-3 suite as well as technology-rich classrooms and collaborative research space.

The University of Georgia broke ground on the $44.7 million Science Learning Center in Athens in September of 2014. Designed by HDR, the 122,500-sf STEM facility will provide 33 instructional labs for chemistry, biology, and physics, as well as two 280-seat lecture halls and two SCALE-UP classrooms (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs). The general contractor for the project is Whiting-Turner. Completion is expected in spring of 2016 with occupancy in the fall.

Sam Houston State University is constructing the Sycamore Vivarium in Huntsville, Texas. Designed by FKP Architects and built by Vaughn Construction, the $1.6 million project will provide rodent housing, four animal holding rooms, and a procedure room. Completion is expected in December of 2014 with occupancy in spring of 2015.

The University of Maryland is planning to build the $140 million Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science Innovation in College Park. The facility will provide UMD’s Department of Computer Science and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies with technology-rich labs and workrooms for the study of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, computer vision, robotics, and virtual reality. Designed to support collaborative learning, the LEED-certified project will include classrooms for the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.

Novartis is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania to create the Center for Advanced Cellular Therapeutics. Located on the Penn Medicine Campus in Philadelphia, the 30,000-sf facility will accommodate research on personalized cellular cancer therapies using chimeric antigen receptor technology (CAR). Supported by $20 million in funding from Novartis, the project will be built on top of the Jordan Medical Education Center and South Pavilion Extension, which is currently under construction. Completion is expected in 2016.

The University of Alabama is partnering with Lockheed Martin to create a data science research lab. Located at the Culverhouse College of Commerce in Tuscaloosa, the facility will allow students to participate in the development and application of advanced analytics technologies. Still in the design phase, the laboratory will be located in Bidgood Hall and will feature a visualization suite with multiple plasma screens and digital projectors as well as collaboration spaces for small group work.

UT Southwestern has completed construction of the William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in Dallas. The $800 million academic medical center was designed by RTKL to integrate research, treatment, and education. The 12-story, 1.3 million-sf facility features 460 private patient rooms optimally arranged to enhance the delivery of team-based care.