Higher Education

The University of Washington received $126 million in federal stimulus funding in September of 2009 to construct an advanced ocean observatory on the Pacific Northwest coast. Part of the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative, the Regional Scale Nodes and the Center for Environmental Visualization will include an extensive under-sea remote sensing network to provide researchers with real-time data about ocean events. The network will support research in geology, marine biology, seismology, and climate change.

The Medical College of Georgia broke ground in late September of 2009 on the $112 million School of Dentistry in Augusta, Ga. The five-story, 270,000-sf facility was designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent and will house instructional facilities and clinical space. LEED certification will be sought for the project, which will feature automated sun shades and lighting fixtures. Occupancy is expected in early 2012.

Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS) dedicated the Khoo Teck Puat Building in Singapore on September 28, 2009. The facility provides a world-class environment for medical education and research in the areas of emerging infectious diseases, cancer and stem cell biology, neuroscience and behavioral disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and health services and systems research.

The University of Waterloo broke ground on the $36 million Engineering VI Building in September of 2009. The five-story, 113,000-sf facility will house research labs, classrooms, and administrative space for the department of chemical engineering. Completion is expected in March of 2011.

Tarrant County College began construction in September of 2009 on the 120,000-sf Science and Academic Building in Arlington, Texas. Slated for completion in 2010, the sustainable three-story building will have a 150-200 seat lecture hall, student gathering areas, general purpose classrooms, an atrium, and teaching laboratories. Plano-based SHW Group is the project architect and Turner Construction Company's Dallas office is serving as general contractor. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art opened its $150 million laboratory building in September of 2009 in New York. The 175,000-sf facility is expected to attain a minimum of LEED Gold certification for sustainable design. Designed by Morphosis, the nine-story project features reconfigurable classrooms, laboratories, and studios. Housing the Albert Nerken School of Engineering and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the facility also provides space for the School of Art and the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture.

Buffalo State College broke ground on the  $110 million Science and Mathematics Complex in September of 2009. The two-phase project includes renovation of an existing facility and construction of a 96,000-sf addition housing teaching and research labs, offices, and instrumentation space. The completed facility will also include an atrium, an imaging suite, a planetarium, and greenhouses. The Science and Mathematics Complex will house the departments of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and earth sciences.

Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) officially opened the $8 million Nano Research Facility and Center for Materials Innovation in September of 2009. Part of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, the facility includes four laboratories: a micro and nano-fabrication lab, a surface characterization lab, a particle technology lab, and a bio-imaging lab. The fabrication lab features Class 100, Class 1,000, and Class 10,000 cleanrooms.

Utah State University opened two research facilities in Logan in September of 2009. The 11,000-sf Hydraulics Modeling Laboratory will enable engineers to build large-scale replicas of dams and spillways for channel hydraulics modeling projects. As a re-circulating facility, the laboratory can provide a flow of nearly 50,000 gallons per minute. The 5,000-sf Structural Testing Laboratory will enable researchers to test the load strength of construction materials for the Long-Term Bridge Performance Program, a national study on bridge safety.

Ohio State University Medical Center will begin construction in early 2010 on a 17-story tower in Columbus, Ohio. Housing the academic medical center's new critical care and cancer hospitals, the $1 billion project is slated for completion in mid-2014. The 276-bed Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital will occupy seven floors and and the 144-bed critical care hospital will occupy three floors. The tower will also house laboratory and office space. The project includes completion of three floors in the existing biomedical research tower and electrical upgrades.

Texas A&M University officially opened the $100 million Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building in College Station in September of 2009. Construction began on the 220,000-sf biomedical research facility in 2006. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which houses over 30 laboratories, a 285-seat auditorium, and core facilities including the Microscopy and Imaging Center, the X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory, and the Laboratory for Biological Mass Spectrometry.

The University of North Carolina Asheville dedicated the $24 million Zeis Hall in September of 2009. Housing the departments of biology, chemistry, and multimedia arts, the four-story, 86,000-sf facility provides classrooms and teaching and research laboratories.

The University of Toledo broke ground in September of 2009 on a $25 million facility for the College of Pharmacy in Toledo, Ohio. Sited on the university’s health sciences campus, the 54,000-sf teaching and research building is slated for completion in fall of 2010. The project involves construction of two new floors atop an existing foundation with basement research facilities.

The University of South Alabama broke ground on the $40 million Shelby Hall Engineering and Computing Sciences Building in Mobile in September of 2009. The 155,000-sf facility will house multimedia classrooms, teaching and research labs, and chemical and biochemical laboratory facilities. The general contractor for the project is Elkins Constructors of Jacksonville, Fla. Completion is expected in September of 2011.

Wayne State University broke ground on the $37 million A. Paul Schaap Chemistry Building and Lecture Hall in Detroit in September of 2009. Representing the second phase of a comprehensive $42 million expansion and renovation of the existing Chemistry Building, the project involves the creation of 96,000-sf of open plan laboratory space. Harley Ellis Devereaux provided architectural and engineering services, and DeMaria Building Co. is the general contractor. LEED Silver certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility.