Higher Education

The University of Minnesota is constructing the $70 million Science Teaching and Student Services Center (STSSC) in Minneapolis. The five-story, 120,000-sf facility was designed by HGA and Kohn Pederson Fox and is slated for occupancy in fall of 2010. Featuring classrooms with central teacher instruction stations and multimedia displays, the STSSC will also house meeting rooms, offices, and student services. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility. Construction began on the building in January of 2009.

Michigan State University opened its $2 million large animal MRI suite in East Lansing in August of 2009. Supporting research for the College of Veterinary Medicine, the facility provides diagnostic imaging for animals such as horses and cattle. Construction began on the project in January of 2009.

New York Law School opened its $145 million Academic Center in New York City in September of 2009. Designed by SmithGroup and BKSK Architects with Pavarini McGovern as general contractor, the 200,000-sf facility includes five stories above ground with four stories below grade. The center houses an auditorium, a library, lecture halls, classrooms, meeting rooms, and research and practice areas. Construction began on the facility in 2006.

Middlesex University will initiate construction in fall of 2009 on an £80 million art, design, and media building in London. Slated for occupancy in 2011, the 15,460-sm facility will feature specialized instructional spaces, seminar rooms, and studios for art, design, and television.

The University of Kansas is constructing the $45.5 million School of Pharmacy in Lawrence. The 110,000-sf facility is being built by J.E. Dunn Construction Co. and is slated for completion in fall of 2010. The facility will enable the university to enroll 150 new students annually to address the statewide shortage of pharmacists. 

The University of Texas at Austin is constructing the $175 million Norman Hackerman Research Building. Slated for completion by year-end 2010, the research and teaching complex will accommodate the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Institute of Neuroscience, and the School of Biological Science. The Hackerman Research Building will include seven organic chemistry teaching labs, 14 organic chemistry research labs, neurobiology labs, and core facilities for electron microscopy, NMR, and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance).

The Texas Facilities Commission announced in August of 2009 that BIM (Building Information Modeling) will be required for all new state design and construction projects. The mandate includes projects at all state university systems.Learn more about BIM.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will partner with the government of Singapore to construct the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Providing interdisciplinary technology-centered education, the $100 million project is expected to break ground in summer of 2010 and reach completion in 2013. A sister research facility, the MIT Singapore International Design Center, will be constructed on the MIT campus in Cambridge. Groundbreaking is slated for July of 2010.

The University of Western Ontario's $22 million Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion is slated for completion in September of 2009. Located in London, Ontario, the 45,000-sf facility houses research laboratories for sustainable technologies and materials. LEED Gold certification will be sought for the project. Supporting the department of engineering, the facility features an atrium, a green roof, a wind turbine, photovoltaic panels, and a water recovery system.

The University of Tennessee will begin construction in fall of 2009 on the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials in Knoxville. Located on the Cherokee Farms campus, the research facility will be built to attain LEED sustainable design certification. The project will utilize solar and geothermal energy and is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The University of Oklahoma is constructing the Devon Energy Hall and the ExxonMobile Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility. Both projects are expected to reach completion in fall of 2009. The total cost of both facilities was $42.2 million. Housing two teaching labs and three classrooms, the Devon Energy Hall will provide research space for the College of Engineering's School of Computer Science and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Engineering Practice Facility will house interdisciplinary instructional space for engineering students.

The University of Teesside is planning to construct the £11m Centuria South Building in Teesside in the United Kingdom. Designed by CPMG Architects, the 4,200-sm facility will be built by contractor Morgan Ashurst with Shepherd Engineering Services as mechanical and electrical engineer. The four-story building will house instructional facilities for dentistry and sports therapy and will include laboratories, therapy suites, classrooms, and academic offices. Completion is expected in April of 2010.

The University of California, Los Angeles is building the 175,000-sf Life Sciences Building on its Westwood campus. Replacing the existing life sciences facility, the $155 million building will house the Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; the Department of Physiological Science; and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Comprised of two separate five-story wings connected by a basement, the facility will provide wet and dry research labs, a plant growth lab, and vivarium space. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Marshall University is planning to construct the $50 million Applied Science Center in Huntington, W.V. The 140,000-sf facility will house the College of Information Technology and Engineering, the departments of mathematics and computational sciences, a modeling and digital imaging resource facility, and engineering and bioengineering research labs. Occupancy is expected in 2012.

Indiana University Bloomington opened a new laboratory for the study of select agents and pathogens at the College of Arts and Sciences in August of 2009. The project team included BSA LifeStructures of Indianapolis as architect/engineer of record with CDI of Bloomington as general contractor. Laboratory control systems were provided by Siemens of Indianapolis with commissioning services provided by George Butler Associates of Lenexa, Kan., and VicoCon of Kansas City, Mo.