Higher Education

The University of Michigan has transformed the way science is conducted and communicated by integrating the Museum of Natural History into its uniquely designed $261 million Biological Sciences Building (BSB). The 312,000-sf building opened for classes in 2018, and the museum opened a year later, facilitating connections between university researchers and the community. More than 200,000 members of the public visited the museum within the first year, underscoring the university’s belief that science is a social, not merely transactional, interaction.

Galveston College is constructing the $34 million Health Sciences Education Center to provide leading-edge facilities for its nursing and allied health programs. Designed by PBK Architects, the 64,000-sf building will include sophisticated classrooms, interactive lecture halls, teaching labs, simulation suites, faculty offices, and study spaces.

New York University dedicated the $1 billion John A. Paulson Center in January of 2023. Designed by Davis Brody Bond and KieranTimberlake, the 735,000-sf complex integrates academic, athletic, artistic, and residential functions in a vibrant nexus for learning and discovery. Comprising three towers rising from a full-block podium, the 23-story building houses 58 classrooms, a 350-seat proscenium theater, an orchestral rehearsal hall and practice rooms, and numerous music and performing arts studios.

2022 offered a glimpse of what the post-pandemic era might look like, with a redefinition of “workplace” in a hybrid setting; examining the benefits and challenges of renovation vs. new construction; and using data to drive complex facilities decisions. The following are the reports that Tradeline readers found most helpful in 2022, as they focused on strategic space planning in this shifting environment:

Marquette University completed construction in December of 2022 on the $60 million O'Brien Hall in Milwaukee. Designed by BNIM and Workshop Architects, the four-story, 100,000-sf facility provides the College of Business Administration with open and transparent environments for experiential learning. Featuring collaborative classrooms and laboratories, the technology-enabled structure includes an expansive atrium, a pitch stage, a multipurpose event venue, study spaces, a café, and office suites for departmental leadership.

Cal State East Bay broke ground in December of 2022 on the $30 million Applied Sciences Center in Hayward, Calif. Designed by SmithGroup, the 22,165-sf facility will provide flexible classrooms for active learning, a technology innovation hub, and interdisciplinary research space for programs in computer science and engineering. Open-concept laboratories will allow multiple student and faculty teams to engage in collaborative discovery.

Boston University opened the $305 million Center for Computing & Data Sciences in December of 2022. KPMB Architects designed the iconic facility, which provides learning labs, classrooms, research venues, meeting spaces, administrative offices, and a business incubator. Located on the Charles River Campus, the 19-story structure comprises a four-story podium topped by 13 floors, with MEP systems located on additional basement and penthouse levels.

The University of New England broke ground in late November of 2022 on the $93 million Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences in Portland, Maine. Collocating the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Institute for Inter-Professional Education, the 109,000-sf structure will address a state-wide shortage of physicians while accommodating allied health programs in nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, physician assistance, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social work.

The University of Virginia is building the $67.1 million Contemplative Commons in Charlottesville. Integrating academic, research, and social functions, the 57,000-sf facility will feature flexible learning studios that can be configured for group instruction, quiet reflection, physical activity, or informal interaction. During the day, the three-story structure will accommodate classes for the entire university community, while acting as an event venue and gathering hub on evenings and weekends.

George Mason University’s new Horizon Hall is being called a “game changer” as it anchors the Core Campus Project, which facilitates multidisciplinary education, active student learning, and technological innovation with ample flexibility to accommodate evolving teaching modalities. In addition to this new construction, the project includes theater renovations; the addition of green spaces, such as a meditation garden and amphitheater; expansion of a central outdoor space; the demolition of two older buildings; and extensive upgrades to the utility infrastructure. 

Brandeis University is planning a $145 million expansion of its existing science complex in Waltham, Mass. Designed by Payette, the 100,000-sf project will include the construction of a five-story building that will adjoin the atrium of the Sharpiro Science Center. The vibrant and welcoming structure will provide flexible research labs, core facilities, state-of-the-art classrooms, and maker spaces to support growing programs in applied sciences and engineering. 

The University of Memphis is constructing the $41 million STEM Research and Classroom Building to provide leading-edge environments for programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Designed by SmithGroup and A2H, the two-story, 65,000-sf facility will feature labs for advanced manufacturing, biomaterials, cybersecurity, data science, and earthquake engineering.

Time and money restrictions are prompting some universities to ditch plans for new construction in favor of renovation or expansion to accommodate their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. Opting to renovate requires stakeholders to evaluate the existing building for the ability to accommodate the equipment and infrastructure needed to provide the best user experiences in the most versatile spaces, the highest level of productivity, and ample flexibility for future programs.

The College of William & Mary is expanding the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) with the construction of a $74 million research building in Gloucester Point. Replacing Chesapeake Bay Hall, the 64,000-sf facility will provide a new home for the Institute's four academic departments: Aquatic Health Sciences, Biological Sciences, Fisheries Science, and Physical Sciences. The three-story structure will feature sophisticated wet and dry labs, an interactive teaching lab, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and faculty offices.

Cornell University broke ground in October of 2022 on a $100 million facility for the Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the four-story, 133,000-sf structure will collocate the departments of computer science, information science, and statistics and data science in a single unified complex.