Higher Education

Carleton University opened the $30.4 million Canal Building in January of 2011. Attaining five out of five on the Green Globes sustainable design rating scale, the seven-story, 100,000-sf facility will accommodate aerospace, sustainable energy, and biomedical engineering programs. Construction began on the Canal building in June of 2009. Sustainable design elements include sun shading, photovoltaic panels, a green roof, occupancy controlled lighting, automated building systems, and abundant natural light. A biowall in the atrium absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen.

University Health System broke ground in January of 2011 on a $778 million patient tower in San Antonio. The 10-story, 1 million-sf facility will house 420 private rooms, 35 operating rooms, and an emergency department. The design team includes Perkins + Will, Garza/Bomberger & Associates, RVK Architects, and Richard Sanchez Architects. Occupancy is expected in spring of 2014.

The University of Southern Mississippi will begin construction in summer of 2011 on a $10 million science building in Long Beach. Located on the Gulf Park campus, the three-story, 36,000-sf facility will provide an 80-seat classroom, nine teaching labs, research space, and faculty offices for the College of Science and Technology. The project is being designed by Allred Architectural Group. Occupancy is expected in early 2012.

Northeastern University is building the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security in Burlington, Mass. Funded in part by a $12 million donation, the three-story, 70,000-sf facility will house laboratories for the study of information protection, explosive detection, nanotechnology, robotics, and energy harvesting. The sustainably designed project will open in summer of 2011. The facility will house up to 100 researchers.

The University at Buffalo is building the 130,000-sf Barbara and Jack Davis Hall in Buffalo, N.Y. Housing the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the $75 million facility will provide flexible laboratories, classrooms, and seminar rooms for interdisciplinary research and education. The project was designed by Perkins + Will and includes a 5,000-sf cleanroom for nanotechnology fabrication.

The University of Aberystwyth initiated construction on two research facilities in late 2010. The $11.1 million, 2,000-sm Phenomics facility will house laboratories and greenhouses for plant science. The project is the centerpiece of the Institute for International Plant Breeding, a center housing laboratories, an enterprise hub, and accommodation for visiting academics. The second facility is a two-story teaching and research block slated for completion in late 2011. A BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainable design will be sought for both projects.

City University of New York has awarded Skanska USA a $92 million contract to construct two research buildings in Harlem, N.Y. A 473,000-sf facility will house labs, a 100-seat lecture hall, and a cafeteria. The second building will provide 247,000 sf of laboratory space for biology, chemistry, and physics. Construction began in January of 2011 with completion expected in summer of 2014.

The University of North Florida broke ground on a $5.6 million addition to the College of Education and Human Services Building in January of 2011. Located in Jacksonville, the sustainably designed 16,000-sf facility will house the Disability Resource Center, the Military and Veterans Resource Center, the On-Campus Transition Program, and the Institute for Values, Community, and Leadership. The project team includes Baker Barrios Architects of Orlando and construction manager PPI. Completion is expected in January of 2012.

North Carolina A&T State University's $25 million classroom building in Greensboro is slated for completion in March of 2011. The 81,000-sf facility will house the international, honors, and university studies programs. Featuring advanced audio-visual technologies for distance learning, the sustainably designed building will provide 15 flexible classrooms seating between 40 and 128 students and a 240-seat lecture hall.

The University of North Carolina Greensboro is building the $47.5 million School of Education. Construction is expected to reach completion in March of 2011. Consolidating the School of Education's dispersed facilities, the 110,500-sf facility will house 19 classrooms, two lecture halls, collaboration spaces, computer and sign language labs, and a student advisory center. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which features a bioretention system for stormwater runoff and automatic daylight control.

The Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER) is slated for completion in April of 2011. Located in the New London Business and Technology Center, the 30,000-sf facility will provide R&D labs for students and faculty from local universities including Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. The building will include two towers, one dedicated to wireless technology research and development, and the other housing a model nuclear reactor. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

The design of UCLA's WIN-GEM Building and Engineering VI was recently awarded to BNIM + MRY Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as the laboratory design consultant. The project involves the phased design and construction of a 130,000-gsf engineering complex. The facility will house research laboratories for the School’s Western Institute of Nanoelectronics (WIN) and Green Engineering and Metrology (GEM) programs.

National Cheng Kung University inaugurated the Y. S. Sun Green Building Research Center in January of 2011 on the Lis-Hsing campus in Tainan, Taiwan. Housing the Magic School of Green Technology, the zero-carbon facility is expected to attain LEED Platinum sustainable design certification and receive the highest rating from Taiwan's Ecology, Energy Saving, and Waste Reduction initiative. The 4,800-sm building includes three levels above ground and one underground floor.

Black Hills State University opened its $8 million science building in January of 2011 in Spearfish, S.D. The 26,000-sf facility houses a DNA core facility, the Center for the Conservation of Biological Resources, three research labs, five classrooms, 11 faculty offices, and a conference room. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks selected Davis Constructors and Engineers in January of 2011 to provide design consultation for the $109 million Life Sciences Classroom and Laboratory Facility. The building will house advanced laboratories, offices, classrooms, and an auditorium. Construction will begin in summer of 2011 with completion expected in 2014.