Higher Education

Providence College broke ground in late September of 2023 on the Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 125,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, active learning environments, faculty innovation labs, and a 100-seat auditorium. Featuring state-of-the-art anatomy and physiology labs with Anatomage tables, the five-story building will include clinical simulation suites with augmented and virtual reality technologies to enable immersive, experiential education. 

The University of California, Riverside opened the $100 million School of Medicine Education Building II in September of 2023. Created by the design-build team of CO Architects and Hensel Phelps, the 95,478-gsf facility offers 56,500 asf of innovative learning and support space. The first three floors of the five-story structure are dedicated to instruction and collaboration, augmented by sophisticated audiovisual technologies throughout.

Centennial College opened the CAD$112 million A-Building in September of 2023 in Toronto. Acting as a gateway to the school's Progress Campus in Scarborough, the highly sustainable project has attained LEED Gold certification and is the first zero-carbon, mass-timber facility at an institution of higher education in Canada. Construction of a 130,000-sf addition and the renovation of 15,000 sf of existing space has created a vibrant academic hub for the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science.

The University of Toronto was able to repurpose leased space in an off-campus office tower into biosafety research labs for its Temerty Faculty of Medicine by implementing innovative HVAC solutions and modular design. Filtered ductless fume hoods obviated the need to vent exhaust up 20 stories to the roof, and a flexible floorplan can accommodate fluctuating research teams.

Cornell Tech’s MakerLAB on Roosevelt Island, N.Y., is more than doubling in size after just five years, drawing makers from seven graduate programs, doctoral students, and the city at large. 

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center broke ground in late September of 2023 on the $668 million South Campus Research Building 5 in Houston. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects to catalyze biomedical discovery and innovation, the 600,000-sf structure will anchor the institutions's R&D campus at the Texas Medical Center's Helix Park. Housing the James P.

Rice University opened the Ralph S. O'Connor Building for Engineering and Science in September of 2023 in Houston. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with Scientia Architects as laboratory design consultant, the $152 million facility provides maker spaces, seminar rooms, a dedicated prototyping center, two classrooms, and nearly 50 labs. Flexible office areas include touchdown spaces for faculty, graduate students, and staff. Housing the George R.

University of Chicago Medicine broke ground in September of 2023 on an $815 million cancer center that will provide world-class environments for research and treatment. CannonDesign's architectural vision for the freestanding facility will radically elevate the patient experience by bringing together clinicians, investigators, and physician-scientists to optimize the delivery of team-based care.

The University of Michigan will begin construction in late 2023 on a $141 million building for the College of Pharmacy in Ann Arbor. Collocating functions previously dispersed in seven separate locations, the 142,000-gsf teaching and research facility will provide active learning classrooms, laboratories, support spaces, faculty and administrative offices, and a student services suite. With a range of settings for group and individual study, the highly collaborative project will include open community areas for informal interaction and exchange.

Northeastern University opened the $300 million EXP building in September of 2023 in Boston. Featuring a 15,000-sf maker space, the 357,000-sf facility offers active learning environments, teaching and research labs, executive offices, a faculty club, and a café. A range of meeting and collaboration venues will catalyze interdisciplinary discovery and exchange.

The University of Pittsburgh formed a public-private partnership to repurpose a 1915 Ford Motor factory into biomedical research center. The project satisfies many objectives in the university’s master plan, as a multipurpose, multitenant, interdisciplinary facility that seeks creates synergies and efficiency. 

Virginia Tech is planning to break ground in spring of 2024 on a $292 million engineering building located in the North Academic District in Blacksburg. Replacing an existing structure, Mitchell Hall will act as a centralized hub for several departments including mechanical, chemical, aerospace, and ocean engineering. The five-story, 285,500-gsf development was designed by Perkins&Will to foster experiential learning with student collaboration spaces on every level.

Miami University dedicated the $96 million Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness Building in September of 2023 in Oxford, Ohio. The three-story, 165,000-sf complex strategically collocates programs in nursing, physician associate studies, and speech pathology and audiology to enhance interprofessional exchange and discovery. Designed by BSA LifeStructures, the transdisciplinary facility comprises three linked volumes. The north wing houses classrooms, teaching labs, a fitness studio, and the Office of Student Wellness.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began construction in September of 2023 on the $240 million Energy and Minerals Research Facility in Golden, Colo. Sited on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines, the 190,000-sf building will enable 250 USGS researchers to work side-by-side with 68 of the university's investigators and 150 students. This collaborative nexus for applied geosciences will include state-of-the-art laboratories, faculty offices, graduate student workstations, a classroom, and a café.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa opened the $70 million Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs (RISE) in August of 2023 in Honolulu. Leveraging the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to promote new venture success, the 117,000-sf building features a 7,263-sf multipurpose venue with a maker lab for prototyping and design. The six-story structure also offers co-working zones, meeting areas, and a classroom. On the upper floors, a 219-unit dormitory provides 374 beds for undergraduate and graduate students from across the UH System.