Higher Education

The Medical Center of the Americas is in the design stage in El Paso, Texas. Created by a consortium of academic and industry partners including the University of Texas and Texas Tech, the planned 140-acre biomedical research complex will support commercialization of pharmaceutical therapies. The first phase of the project will include construction of an 80,000-sf facility on 10 acres in central El Paso. A subsequent phase of construction will deliver two additional buildings at the site.

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is planning to build a $22 million biomanufacturing facility in Fall River, Mass. The building will be the first facility in a proposed 300-acre biotechnology park.

Southeast Missouri State University opened the $100,000 Beef Research Facility in Gordonville in February of 2011. Part of the David M. Barton Agriculture Research Center, the center will act as a living laboratory for meat production science and DNA sequencing for selective breeding. The project was funded in part by a grant from the Department of Agriculture and represents a collaborative partnership with the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Missouri Extension. The facility houses animal holding pens adjacent to a research farm.

Reaseheath College completed its $3.2 million animal management center in February of 2011. The building provides animal housing, classrooms, conference rooms, and administration for educational programs in animal care and welfare. The sustainably designed building is BREEAM rated. The facility was built by Whitfield and Brown of Widnes.

Monroe County Community College will begin construction in summer of 2011 on the 71,300-sf Career Technology Center in Monroe, Mich. Designed by Hobbs + Black of Ann Arbor, Mich., the $17 million facility will house advanced classrooms and high bay laboratories for instruction in nuclear engineering, fuel cell manufacturing, welding, construction, and computer-aided drafting. Completion is expected in September of 2012.

The University of California San Francisco Medical Center initiated construction on an 878,000-sf hospital complex in January of 2011. Located in the Mission Bay development, the project will be built to attain LEED Gold sustainable design certification and will feature advanced building systems and technologies. The first phase of construction comprises a 289-bed hospital housing women’s services, pediatric care, and cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The Sunshine Coast University Hospital will build the $61 million Skills, Academic and Research Centre in Caloundra, Queensland. Sited adjacent to the planned hospital complex, the medical education facility will feature simulation suites for clinical training, classrooms, dedicated research space, wet labs, and an auditorium. The 450-bed Sunshine Coast University Hospital represents a partnership of the University of Queensland, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Sunshine Coast TAFE (Technical and Further Education).

Brown University opened the $40 million Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts in February of 2011 in Providence, R.I. The three-story, 38,815-sf facility was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and features a 218-seat auditorium, four production studios, a recording studio, and a multimedia lab. The Cogut Physical Media Lab will support research on sensors, robotics, and physical computing. The project was built by Shawmut Design and Construction.

Trinity College Dublin will build the $69 million South East Corner Development to house the School of Engineering and the School of Natural Sciences. The 161,458-sf facility will provide advanced research laboratories and teaching spaces. Healy Kelly Turner & Townsend is the project manager. The sustainably designed facility will be built in phases with initial occupancy in 2014 and final completion expected in 2017.

Texas A&M University has selected Skanska USA to construct the $34 million Arts and Humanities Building in College Station. The 107,000-sf facility will house the Department of English, the Department of Performance Studies, and the Institute for Digital Humanities, Media and Culture. The building will provide advanced classrooms, studios, rehearsal rooms, music teaching labs, and offices. Completion is slated for summer of 2012.

The University of New South Wales is planning to build the Wallace Wurth Building in Sydney. Accommodating 678 staff and 1300 students, the medical teaching, research, and training facility will house wet and dry labs, classrooms, lecture halls, seminar rooms, and an animal facility.

The University of Michigan will begin construction in spring of 2011 on a 62,500-sf addition to the G.G. Brown Memorial Laboratories in Ann Arbor. The $46 million facility will house the Center of Excellence in Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering. Supported by $9.5 million in funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the three-story addition will house faculty and graduate student offices and 60 laboratory modules. The project architect is Perkins + Will. Completion is expected in late 2014.

The University of Iowa is constructing the $122.5 million Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building in Iowa City. Built as an extension of the Medical Education and Research Facility and the Carver Biomedical Research Building, the 200,000-sf interdisciplinary research facility will house laboratories for biomedical, life science, and stem cell research. The project broke ground in September of 2007 and will include the $25 million Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center.

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.