Higher Education

Nova Southeastern University broke ground in March of 2011 on the $30 million Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystem Science Research Facility. The five-story, 86,000-sf project will double the footprint of the existing NSU Oceanographic Center in Fort Lauderdale. Completion is expected in December of 2011. The project team includes architectural firms Cannon Design and ACA and design-build contractor Moss Miller. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The University of Rochester will break ground in April of 2011 on the $24 million Raymond F. LeChase Hall in Rochester, N.Y. The four-story, 65,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, offices, and an atrium for the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development. The project team includes architectural firm SHW Group, architect of record Bergmann Associates, and LeChase Construction. Occupancy is expected in January of 2013.

Cooper University Hospital will begin construction in summer of 2011 on the $105 million Cooper Cancer Institute in Camden, N.J. The five-story, 158,300-sf facility will provide comprehensive cancer care with three floors of clinical space and two floors of research and administration space. Completion is expected in June of 2013.

Kennesaw State University broke ground on a $21 million facility for the College of Science and Mathematics in March of 2011. Located in Kennesaw, Ga., the 73,000-sf facility will house science teaching labs, instructional space, and research labs for faculty and students.

Algonquin College will break ground in April of 2011 on the $52 million Student Commons in Ottawa. The 110,000-sf facility will provide a signature space for social interaction, study, and collaboration. The project will include a large atrium, a 700-seat auditorium, and space for student services and groups. Occupancy is expected in September of 2012. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Boise State University will open the $25 million Environmental Research Building in summer of 2011. Designed by RBB of Los Angeles, the 98,000-sf project will house classrooms and labs for the departments of Geosciences, Civil Engineering, and Public Policy, Administration, and Political Science. Construction began on the facility in spring of 2009.

The University of Edinburgh completed the new Roslin Institute in March of 2011. The $97 million project houses animal health research and education facilities including the Scottish Agricultural College and the Royal Veterinary School. Designed by HDR Architecture, the building reflects the shape of a chromosome with strands of offices interwoven with strands of laboratories, connected by conference rooms and interaction spaces. The new Roslin Institute includes a 250-seat auditorium, a library, and a freezer archive.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center will break ground in mid-2011 on a $24 million cancer center in Knoxville. Consolidating all outpatient services in a single location, the four-story, 100,000-sf facility is slated for completion in early 2013. The center will house radiation oncology therapy suites and a linear accelerator.

The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources will begin construction in fall of 2011 on a $10.5 million dairy research and teaching facility in Saskatoon. The facility will house teaching areas, animal handling space, a robot milker, a public viewing gallery, and 100 cows. Completion is expected in fall of 2012.

Dixie State College of Utah broke ground in March of 2011 on the $48 million Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons Building (HCC) in St. George, Utah. The five-story, 170,000-sf building is expected to reach completion in June of 2012. The HCC Building will house flexible, technology-rich classrooms, faculty offices, a library, a central data center, and student services. The facility is being built by Jacobsen Construction.

Florida Technical College began construction in March of 2011 on a 40,000-sf instructional facility in Orlando. The building is located on seven acres in the Central Florida Research Park. Lincoln Property Company is the developer, construction manager, and property manager for the project. The design architect is Leonard Feinburg and the general contractor is First Builders. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2011.

UC San Diego will open the $227 million Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center in April of 2011. The four-story, 128,000-sf facility is located adjacent to Thornton Hospital in San Diego. The multidisciplinary center will provide comprehensive cardiovascular care with an expanded emergency department, four operating rooms, six catheterization labs, 22 outpatient beds, and 54 inpatient beds. The facility will also support medical training for UC San Diego Medical Center.

Eastern Michigan University's new $90 million, energy-efficient addition to and renovation of the Mark Jefferson Science Building is a green design and construction project pursuing LEED silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent's Ann Arbor, Mich., office, the building features a planetarium/classroom, a green roof, a rain garden, and employs stormwater management and daylighting. Phase 1 of the project, an 80,000-sf addition, was completed in December of 2010.

Swinburne University of Technology opened the $140 million Advanced Technologies Centre (ATC) in March of 2010 in Melbourne. Located on the Hawthorn campus, the 10-story building comprises two towers and has a footprint of 21,528 sf. Designed by H2o of Melbourne, the facility features maximum transparency to display technological innovations to the public. The ATC houses classrooms, engineering labs, a 500-seat lecture hall, and the Smart Structures Laboratory, where construction materials are tested with the application of extreme loads.

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology’s Paleontology Building in Rapid City has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification. The $6 million facility houses laboratories, offices, 300,000 fossils, specimen receiving and preparation areas, collection storage, archives, and a library.  The building was constructed using concrete with 25 percent fly ash. Office counters and shelves are made from recycled paper. A large atrium features wall panels covered in a product made from compressed sunflower husks.