Higher Education

The University of Pennsylvania opened the $370 million Anne and Jerome Fisher Translational Research Center in May of 2011 in Philadelphia. The 531,000-sf biomedical research facility is designed for maximum integration with the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. The Translational Research Center houses the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism; the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics; and the Penn Cardiovascular Institute.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $45 million cardiovascular research building in Memphis. The project cost includes $35 million for construction and $10 million for laboratory and office equipment. Occupancy is expected in late 2013. The 140,000-sf facility will be connected by a walkway to an existing cancer research building. The entire complex will be called the Translational Science Research Building and will support interdisciplinary biomedical research and collaboration.

The University of Minnesota opened the $175 million Amplatz Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis in April of 2011. The 227,000-sf facility provides 96 private patient rooms, an intensive care unit, and a pediatric emergency department. The hospital was designed by Tsoi/Kobus & Associates and features abundant natural light to create an optimal healing environment. 

South Carolina State University opened the $17.5 million Leroy Davis Sr. Science and Research Complex in April of 2011. The 57,000-sf facility includes advanced laboratories and classrooms, two auditoriums, an office tower, research space, and five conference rooms. The three-story complex houses the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences. 

Kansas State University opened the 108,000-sf International Animal Health and Food Safety Institute on April 26, 2011. Located on the Innovation campus in Olathe, the $28 million facility houses labs, classrooms, a conference center, a kitchen complex, a student lounge, and a power plant. The Institute will support research, educational, and commercial programs.

Deakin University began building the $50 million Regional Community Health Hub (REACH) at its Geelong Waurn Ponds campus in spring of 2011. The 73,195-sf facility will support health science instruction in optometry, pharmacy, and exercise and sports science. Connected to the adjacent Deakin Medical School, the three-story building will include labs, offices, tutorial and problem-based learning rooms, a simulation center, and a 200-seat lecture hall. Completion is expected in 2012.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has selected Payette to design a two-story addition, including a partial lower level, to house an inter-operative suite with an overhead MRI and CT imaging system. The suite will be used for clinical cases that have some research component, with research collaborations primarily between Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Dartmouth Medical School, and Thayer School of Engineering. A third floor will be expanded and renovated to include two additional MRI areas and an adjacent imaging suite.

The University of Kansas is building the $18.8 million Measurement, Materials and Sustainable Environment Center (M2SEC) in Lawrence. The 36,690-sf facility will provide the School of Engineering with laboratories for the study of biofuels, sustainable construction technologies, and materials science. Low-vibration laboratories constructed on an isolated slab will support research on unmanned aircraft, engines, and wireless communication.

Dalhousie University will begin construction in spring of 2011 on the $30 million Oceans Excellence Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 68,000-sf facility will be built as an addition to the Life Sciences Centre and will house offices, research space, and portable laboratories constructed from shipping containers, enabling investigators to use the same labs while out at sea. The building will also provide research space for the Aquatron and the Ocean Tracking Network. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

The University of Massachusetts broke ground on the 69,000-sf Health and Social Sciences Building in Lowell in April of 2011. Housing the departments of psychology, nursing, and criminal justice, the facility will provide classrooms, labs, faculty offices, conference rooms, simulation suites for healthcare training, and social science research space. The sustainably designed project will feature natural lighting and ventilation and efficient building systems.

The University of North Carolina-Asheville dedicated the $41 million Wilma M. Sherrill Center in April of 2011. The 135,500-sf facility houses the N.C. Center for Health & Wellness, classrooms, labs, fitness rooms, a teaching kitchen, a cafe, and the Kimmel Arena. The sustainably designed facility features natural lighting, an underground rainwater cistern, and occupancy sensors for lighting.

University of North Carolina Health Care broke ground on a satellite hospital campus in Hillsborough in April of 2011. The $200 million project will be constructed by Skanska USA Building in two phases. The first phase, a three-story, 60,000-sf physician office building, is slated for occupancy in spring of 2013. The second phase, a 260,000-sf, 68-bed hospital, will open in July of 2015. The hospital will include an emergency department, an intensive care unit, six operating rooms, and two procedure rooms.

North Carolina State University will dedicate the $72 million Randall B. Terry, Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center in Raleigh in May of 2011. Doubling the size of the Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the 110,000-sf addition will house exam rooms, surgery suites, teaching space, and a pharmacy. The facility will support veterinary training and animal care with advanced imaging technologies, a linear accelerator, and copper-shielded rooms for neurological and opthalmological diagnostics.

New York Medical College is constructing a biotechnology and medical training center in Valhalla, New York. The first phase of construction will cost $12.55 million and includes renovation of an existing 120,000-sf facility to house a clinical skills training laboratory. The building will also include the Hudson Valley Biotechnology Center for Disaster Medicine and Emerging Infections, a facility with simulation mannequins and live actors for disaster response training. Completion is expected in December of 2012.

The University of New Mexico dedicated the Science & Mathematics Learning Center in March of 2011 in Albuquerque, N.M. The $14 million, 62,000-sf facility was built by McCarthy Building Companies and houses technology-rich classrooms and teaching labs for biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Designed by Van H. Gilbert Architect PC of Albuquerque in association with Shepley Bulfinch, the center includes distance learning facilities, a visualization lab, and a 200-seat auditorium.