Higher Education

The University of Toledo will begin building the $36 million Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center in 2012. Located on the Health Sciences Campus in Toledo, Ohio, the three-story, 60,000-sf facility will provide virtual 3D imaging technologies for biomedical research and teaching, anatomy and surgical skills suites, and animatronic manikins for medical training. The project is supported by $18 million in funding from ProMedica.

UC Santa Barbara is planning to begin construction in 2012 on the 48,000-sf BioEngineering Building. The three-story building was designed by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects of Santa Monica and will provide research laboratories, offices, and a 100-seat auditorium. Housing the Center for BioEngineering, the facility will support research on detection and diagnostics, systems biology, biomaterials, and drug delivery. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. 

James Cook University will begin construction in fall of 2011 on the $25 million Cairns Institute. Designed by Woods Bagot and RPA Architects, the facility will support interdisciplinary social science and humanities research with a focus on life in the tropics. The Cairns Institute will house advanced research facilities, conference and seminar rooms, exhibition space, and a lecture hall. Occupancy is expected in January of 2013. 

The University of Wollongong opened the Simulation, Modelling and Analysis for Research and Teaching (SMART) Centre in August of 2011. Designed by Graham Bell & Bowman Architects, the four-story, 129,167-sf facility will support the implementation of a national integrated infrastructure plan for Australia. The SMART Centre houses 30 specialized research laboratories for the study of services such as electricity, water, and transportation. The labs are connected by a simulation center that creates scalable infrastructure models.

The University of Michigan will open the $754 million C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital in Ann Arbor in November of 2011. The 1.1 million-sf building features entirely private rooms and 32 adult bone marrow transplant beds. The hospital comprises a 12-story inpatient wing and a 9-story outpatient wing. The facility provides 348 beds, 16 operating rooms, and two interventional radiology rooms. The duration of construction was five years. 

Oregon Health & Science University broke ground on the $295 million Collaborative Life Sciences Building in Portland in October of 2011. Designed by Sera Architects, the 480,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, classrooms, and lecture halls. The building will also house the OHSU School of Dentistry. Occupancy is expected in spring of 2014. The facility is located on the Schnitzer Campus and is being created in partnership with Portland State University and Oregon State University.

The University of Texas Health Science Center dedicated the $150 million South Texas Research Facility in San Antonio in October of 2011. Designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects to promote translational research and interdisciplinary collaboration, the three-story building houses open labs for up to 20 teams of investigators, each with eight members. The facility also provides research offices, a tissue culture, a core imaging suite, and a bioinformatics lab.

The University of Kentucky dedicated the Davis Marksbury Building in Lexington in October of 2011. Part of the College of Engineering, the three-story, 45,014-sf facility provides teaching and research labs, a 100-seat auditorium, a visualization suite, faculty offices, and administrative space. The building houses the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the UK Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments. The project was awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification in August of 2011. 

Cornell University dedicated the $71 million Human Ecology Building in October of 2011 in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Gruzen Samton, the 89,000-sf facility houses classrooms, labs, a wood and metal shop, and a 280-car parking garage.  The building also provides studios for design, drawing, and fabrication. Construction started on the project in 2005. 

The University of New Mexico’s Science and Math Learning Center was awarded Gold sustainable design certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Schools rating system in October of 2011. The LEED for Schools rating system is unique among other LEED programs as it addresses core learning areas and requires higher performance standards for air quality, acoustics, daylighting, and thermal comfort. Van H.

Purdue University Calumet opened the newly renovated Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation in October of 2011. The 6,300-sf multidisciplinary research center is located on the first floor of the Powers Computer Education Building on the Calumet campus in Hammond, Ind. The $2.7 million renovation and expansion project provides updated simulation and visualization labs, including an immersive research theater and a 3D virtual classroom.

Bishop Fenwick Place, Xavier University’s new residential and dining complex, was dedicated in September of 2011 in Cincinnati. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch, Fenwick Place is home to 535 sophomores with suite-style living in four connected wings that rise above a green terrace. The terrace also serves as the roof of Hoff Dining Commons, the university’s new central dining facility. The new Commons seats up to 700 and a retail component with seating spills onto the patio outside.

Commonwealth Medical College dedicated the $115 million Medical Science Building in October of 2011. Located in Scranton, Pa., the four-story, 183,000-sf facility comprises two wings, one housing research space and the other for academic instruction. The building features 35 medical research labs, 24 small-group teaching rooms, a 250-seat auditorium, lecture halls, simulation suites for medical training, and a gross anatomy lab with 21 air changes per hour. Construction began on the project in February of 2009.

The University of British Columbia broke ground on the $68.8 million Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health in October of 2011. Located at UBC Hospital in Vancouver, the six-story translational facility will support advanced neuroscience research, teaching, and clinical care. The center will include a collaboration atrium called the Synapse Garden and a repository for DNA and brain tissue. The Centre for Brain Health is being created in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

The University of Illinois broke ground in October of 2011 on the $95 million Electrical and Computer Engineering Building in Urbana. The six-story, 232,000-sf facility will house advanced classrooms, labs, and equipment suites for interdisciplinary research in energy, biotechnology, nanotechnology, computing, and communications. Designed by SmithGroup of Chicago, the project will enable UI to consolidate programs currently housed in several locations.