Higher Education

Some of the toughest competition in sports today is happening in the area of athletic facilities. Teams at all levels are competing against streaming services for fans’ time and attention; they are competing for the best athletes and the most talented coaches. And they are demanding state-of-the-art facilities to pull it off. What’s happening at the highest tier of professional sports arenas, locker rooms, and training facilities is not being lost on college and university planners, where the stakes may be even higher. At play in collegiate athletic facilities are mandates to boost the school’s brand, attract students, increase donor support, and develop new sources of revenue. 

The University at Buffalo broke ground on the $111 million Russell L. Agrusa Hall in September of 2024. Accommodating the continued growth of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, this hub of student-centric activity was designed by Page to prepare the STEM workforce of tomorrow to address society's greatest challenges. The state-of-the-art facility will include interactive spaces to support university-wide collaborations, as well as maker spaces, prototyping and fabrication suites, and areas for organizations and clubs.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee opened its $118 million chemistry building in September of 2024. Designed by Kahler Slater and CannonDesign, the 163,400-sf facility features technology-rich laboratories that integrate both teaching and research functions in a highly collaborative layout. Offering lecture halls, classrooms, and group study venues, the four-story structure provides numerous interaction areas with integrated whiteboards and a variety of seating options.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst held a ceremonial groundbreaking in September of 2024 for the School of Public Health & Health Sciences Hub. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the $43 million facility will collocate six departments previously dispersed in seven campus locations. Flexible classrooms for team-based learning will promote student engagement, complemented by sophisticated seminar rooms, collaboration spaces, and an outdoor event venue.

The University of Arkansas is constructing the $43 million Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation in Fayetteville. Designed by Grafton Architects  and Modus Studio, the 44,763-sf project will enable the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design to accelerate the creation of innovative timber construction modalities.

Carnegie Mellon University opened the $105 million Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics in fall of 2024. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the renovated and expanded facility embodies a new paradigm for holistic student health on the Pittsburg campus. The four-story, 154,000-sf development features a modern athletics facility for practice, performance, training, and athlete care, complemented by full-service clinical areas for University Health Services.

Appalachian State University is constructing the $61.5 million STEM Academic Building in Boone, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the 50,000-sf facility will feature sophisticated venues for environmental science education. Flexible classrooms with built-in dividers will accommodate a range of programs, complemented by a full suite of biology labs. Supporting K-12 educational partnerships, the public-facing project will foster a greater understanding of the natural and cultural history of the Southern Appalachian region.

Teaching-only lab buildings are so much more than simplified versions of the latest shiny new research building on campus. They serve as a hub for students, a point of pride on tours for prospective students, and an opportunity to showcase a college or university’s identity. But they do require special design considerations, especially around safety.

Montgomery College opened the Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Building in September of 2024 in Takoma Park, Md. The $104 million facility serves as a vibrant campus centerpiece that will drive excellence in STEM education. Featuring 20 advanced laboratories, the three-story, 108,000-sf structure includes a a planetarium, a cybersecurity center, and a greenhouse. Eight flexible classrooms can accommodate a range of pedagogies, complemented by versatile function spaces and an expansive atrium.

The University of Tennessee broke ground in September of 2024 on an expansion of the Haslam College of Business in Knoxville. Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty and RAMSA to accommodate record enrollment, the 243,800-sf building will provide 18 classrooms, three research labs, and two 300-seat auditoria. The collaborative facility will serve more than 10,000 students, faculty, staff, and guests weekly. 

The University of St. Thomas is constructing the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena to showcase its recent transition to Division I athletics. Designed by Crawford Architects in association with Ryan A&E, the $175 million development will bring hockey onto the Saint Paul campus for the first time. As well as housing the school's basketball programs, the multipurpose facility will feature a 5,000-seat arena that can accommodate commencement ceremonies, academic convocations, conferences, and career fairs.

Pennsylvania State University celebrated the opening of the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building (ECoRE) in University Park in September of 2024. Located on the West Campus, the 290,000-gsf structure features advanced research and teaching labs for programs in aerospace engineering, architectural engineering, acoustics, and civil and environmental engineering. Payette designed the $228 million facility with research programs grouped by theme to enhance interaction and increase the utilization of shared spaces. 

Clemson University is constructing the Advanced Materials Innovation Complex in Clemson, S.C. The 143,000-sf facility will feature collaborative research suites where teams of investigators can discover new technologies for advanced manufacturing, energy, and health. HOK's innovative design for the center strengthens interdisciplinary synergies by collocating the Department of Materials Science and Engineering with select faculty from the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.

The Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health in San Antonio illustrates the pivotal role location plays in enhancing the success of an internationally recognized research program. The Institute previously occupied two buildings at a research park 23 miles from the university’s main campus. University administrators wanted to collocate all research on the same campus to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and interaction, with proximity to all clinical research activities, and to promote efficiency and the shared use of resources. 

After a 2017 fire sped up the timeline for construction of a new science building, University of Delaware faculty and staff needed to make hard choices about how the building should be organized and what features and facilities it should include. Politically, the easiest path would have been to divide the space by department, but Peter Krawchyk, the university’s vice president of facilities and university architect, had a different idea of how to make the decision, one he argued would work better: “We didn’t begin with any kind of programming—number of principal investigators, fume hood counts, or anything like that. We began with ideas and culture.”