Higher Education

The University of Maryland began construction in early 2011 on the $128 million Physical Sciences Complex in College Park. The 158,068-sf complex will house labs and offices for the Department of Physics, the Department of Astronomy, and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology (IPST). The first phase of construction includes a four-story tower connected to the adjacent Computer and Space Sciences Building and an underground core research facility.

Louisiana Tech broke ground in February of 2011 on the 42,000-sf College of Business in Ruston. Supported by $12.4 million in state funding as well as private contributions, the building will house classrooms, research centers, offices, computer labs, conference rooms, and auditoriums. The facility was designed by Yeager, Watson and Associates of Alexandria, La.

National Cheng Kung University Medical College opened its expanded Small Laboratory Animal Division in February of 2011. The facility includes a 3,552-sf animal breeding addition. The project provides a sterile environment with HEPA filtration and individually ventilated cages to house animals used in biomedical research.

Stanford University School of Medicine will begin construction in spring of 2011 on the $21 million Jill and John Freidenrich Center for Translational Research in Palo Alto, Calif. The three-story, 30,690-sf facility will house 250 cancer researchers and space for clinical trials. Occupancy is expected in August of 2012. The center was designed by WRNS Studio and will be built by Devcon Construction.

Fordham University broke ground on a $250 million facility in New York in February of 2011. The 22-story, 468,000-sf building will provide nine floors for the School of Law and thirteen residential floors. The project is located on Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus and will feature a two-story atrium, courtrooms, and a law library with 562,000 volumes. The general contractor is Mayrich Construction. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Completion is expected in 2014.

The University of California, Merced opened the $7 million Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry in February of 2011. Located on the first floor of the Science and Engineering Building, the 3,905-sf facility includes two cleanrooms and a microscopy room. The interdisciplinary project was supported by $4.36 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The facility will produce lab-on-a-chip devices for use in biomedical research.

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) opened the $123 million Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building in February of 2011. The translational research facility was designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and is the headquarters of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research. Located on the university's Parnassus campus, the 74,832-gsf (46,283-asf) building houses open laboratories, offices, and support. Ground was broken on the facility in fall of 2008.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) will break ground in April of 2011 on a $30 million bioscience incubator in Worcester, Mass. Located in Gateway Park, the four-story, 92,000-sf facility will be financed, built, and owned by O’Connell Development Group. The building will house WPI’s Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center, the School of Business graduate program, and the expanded Fire Protection Engineering Department and research laboratory. The building will also provide additional space for the Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center.

Mount Sinai Medical Center is building the Center for Science and Medicine in New York. The 12-story, 500,000-sf facility will provide advanced research, clinical, and imaging facilities. The center will house the Translational Molecular Imaging Institute as well as linear accelerators and infusion suites. Occupancy is expected in 2012. The project construction manager is Bovis Lend Lease.

St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre is planning to build a $450,000 million biomedical science teaching facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The project will house a 3,000-sf laboratory, classrooms, and biomedical training suites. The facility will provide instruction in research techniques for molecular biology, microscopy, and cell cultures.

Georgetown University opened the $164.7 million School of Foreign Service in Qatar’s Education City in February of 2011. Designed by Legorreta+Legorreta, the 360,000-sf instructional facility includes a three-story atrium, a 350-seat auditorium, a library with 60,000 volumes, and 14 classrooms and lecture halls. Sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. The duration of construction was 25 months.

Rock Valley College is building the $28.6 million Karl J. Jacobs Center for Science and Math in Rockford, Ill. The 106,000-sf facility will provide labs, classrooms, and faculty offices for the departments of math, life science, and physical science. Ground was broken on the project in May of 2010 with completion expected in May of 2011. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which features glass exterior walls for daylighting. The center will include an outdoor greenhouse and rain gardens.

The University of South Alabama is planning to construct a microbiology research building in Mobile. The facility will provide BSL-2 and BSL-3 research laboratories for the study of select agents and pathogens. The construction manager for the project is SA Group. Occupancy is expected in 2013.

The University of Houston is building the $70 million Health and Biomedical Sciences Center next to the J. Armistead College of Optometry. The six-story, 165,000-sf building will house research labs, animal facilities, a laser center, outpatient clinics, an ambulatory surgery center, classrooms, and offices. The project will enable researchers from the NIH-funded Complex Systems Supercluster to collaborate on biomedical discoveries. Completion is expected by fall of 2012.

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is building the $76.4 million Clinical and Translational Science Building in Rochester, N.Y. The 200,000-sf project broke ground in October of 2008 with occupancy expected in May of 2011. The interdisciplinary facility will house labs, offices, and classrooms for biomedical research and teaching. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.