Higher Education

The University of Nottingham began construction in October of 2013 on the $32 million Centre for Sustainable Chemistry in the United Kingdom. Designed by Fairhursts Design Group and created in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline, the 48,000-sf carbon-neutral building will provide research labs, a teaching lab, and instrumentation suites. The facility will be located in the University's Innovation Park and will accommodate 100 investigators.

Vassar College is constructing the $125 million Integrated Science Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The project includes a new 80,000-sf teaching and research building designed by Ennead Architects that will bridge a ravine. Three existing facilities will also be renovated. Supporting programs in earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics, the Integrated Science Center will feature the collaborative Earth and Environment Lab housing two faculty research labs, a shared teaching lab, a cleanroom, a coldroom, and a student-faculty joint use lab.

The $270 million Albert Sherman Center expands and unifies the UMass Medical School’s Worcester campus, doubling its research capacity and supporting the school’s new learner-centered curriculum. The 512,000-sf state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research and education facility fosters interaction and collaboration among scientists and promotes innovation and synergies across disciplines, bringing together researchers from one research building and several smaller satellite buildings and leased spaces.

Baylor University will break ground in December of 2013 on the $99 million Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation in Waco, Texas. Designed to support collaborative learning, the 275,000-sf facility will provide technology-rich classrooms, a 350-seat auditorium, faculty offices, and a central atrium for the Hankamer School of Business. Completion is expected in July of 2015.

Cambridge University Hospital is planning to build The Forum on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in the United Kingdom. Designed by NBBJ, the $202 million development will include a post-graduate medical school, a 100-bed private hospital, a 198-room hotel, and a 55-seat conference center. The project will be built using general contractor Laing O'Rourke's ‘Design for Manufacture and Assembly’ system of modular construction.

The University at Buffalo broke ground in October of 2013 on the $375 million School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the eight-story, 628,000-sf facility will provide active learning environments, surgical and patient care simulation centers, a gross anatomy lab, administrative and departmental offices, and 150,000 sf of flexible, multidisciplinary laboratories.

Wallace State Community College will open its $25 million nursing and biology building in January of 2014. Located in Hanceville, Ala., the 125,000-sf facility will provide nine biology classrooms, nine nursing classrooms, a simulation center, two computer labs, a 500-seat auditorium, and a café. General contractor Doster Construction of Birmingham began building the facility in fall of 2012 and construction is expected to reach completion in November of 2013.

Nova Southeastern University will begin construction in January of 2014 on the $80 million Center for Collaborative Research in Davie, Fla. The 220,000-sf facility will provide a genomics research center, wet laboratories, and business incubator space for biotech companies.

Washington State University is planning to build the $52.8 million Clean Technology Laboratory Building on its Pullman campus. Housing programs in science and engineering, the 96,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will accommodate research on advanced materials, atmospheric science, and hydrology. The project team includes LMN Architects, general contractor Skanska, and laboratory design consultant Research Facilities Design. Completion is expected in summer of 2015.

The Mars Center for Science and Technology, Wheaton College’s largest-ever building project, creates a cornerstone of the College’s interdisciplinary curriculum called “Connections,” providing enhanced facilities for scientific research and study, as well as scholarly connections across the disciplines, where scientists and humanists co-teach courses to highlight the unique contributions of each discipline. The building, certified LEED Gold, also fulfills Wheaton’s commitment to sustainability.

The University of Kentucky broke ground in October of 2013 on a $65 million expansion and renovation of the Gatton College of Business and Economics in Lexington. The completed 210,000-sf facility will provide a 500-seat auditorium, a financial trading simulation center, a behavioral research lab, 20 classrooms, and 40 breakout rooms. The project will increase the size of the existing College of Business building by 40 percent.

The $100 million MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper opened in October of 2013 in Camden, N.J. The four-story, 103,050-sf comprehensive cancer facility represents a partnership of the Cooper University Health Care and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Supporting multidisciplinary, team-based patient care, the project provides examination and procedure rooms, conference areas, a healing garden, and instructional and administrative space for the School of Radiation Therapy.

Rowan University broke ground in October of 2013 on a $71 million addition to the College of Engineering in Glassboro, N.J. The three-story, 90,500-sf building is slated for completion in 2017.

Drexel University opened the $92 million LeBow Hall in Philadelphia in October of 2013. Housing the LeBow College of Business, the 12-story, 177,500-sf facility features a five-story atrium, a 300-seat auditorium, a 100-seat lecture hall, and a financial trading lab. The building also provides 17 classrooms, faculty offices, student lounges, a seminar room, and a behavioral studies lab. The facility was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects of New York and Voith & MacTavish Architects of Philadelphia.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine broke ground in September of 2013 on the $305.4 million Health Sciences Facility III in Baltimore. The 10-story, 428,970-sf translational research building will provide advanced biomedical laboratories for the study of genomics, cardiovascular science, cancer, regenerative medicine, and neurology. The project team includes architectural firms HOK and Design Collective Inc. with Barton Malow Company as construction manager. Completion is expected in December of 2017.