Higher Education

The College of William and Mary is engaged in a $25 million renovation and expansion of the William Small Physical Laboratory in Williamsburg, Va. Adding two new wings, the project will increase research lab space in the existing 67,000-sf facility from 11,300-sf to 23,000-sf. One wing will house high-bay space with an interior crane and the second wing will feature modular laboratories for ease of reconfiguration. The renovated facility will also include a computing lab for simulation and research, low vibration research space, and a cleanroom.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is planning to construct the $76 million Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) on the Charlotte Research Institute campus. Designed by Narmour Wright Creech Architects, the 200,000-sf collaborative teaching and research facility will house the departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Groundbreaking is expected in late summer of 2009 with completion slated for 2011.

Daemen College opened the $15 million Research & Information Commons in January of 2009 in Amherst, N.Y. The 45,000-sf building is comprised of a technology-rich library and instructional facilities. Sustainable design features of the project include lighting sensors, recycled materials, and a highly reflective and emissive roof. Designed by Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects, the facility will act as a living laboratory for research and education in environmental sustainability.

University Campus Suffolk broke ground in January of 2009 on the University Quay development in Ipswich, U.K. The project includes two dormitories and an academic building housing the Faculty of Health, Wellbeing and Science; instructional facilities; a library, and a student union. The first phase of the academic building will open in September of 2010. The project team includes RMJM Architects, contractor Watkin Jones Group, and Turner and Townsend.

St. Cloud State University opened the $15 million Robert H. Wick Science Building in St. Cloud, Minn., in January of 2009. The 36,000-sf addition houses classrooms and laboratories for chemistry and biology. Labs feature individual fume foods and distilled water at each bench. The Wick Science Building supports research in areas including immunology, genetics, cancer, and water toxicology. Additionally, St. Cloud State began construction in January of 2009 on a $15 million, 75,000-sf renovation of Brown Hall to provide instruction in nursing, communication, and physics.

Napier University began construction in January of 2009 on the Sighthill Campus for health, life, and social sciences in Edinburgh, Scotland. The facility is being built by contractor Balfour Beatty and features a central atrium, lecture halls, classrooms, clinical skills laboratories, seminar rooms, and research facilities. The project is part of a £100 million expansion of Napier University’s facilities and is expected to open in fall of 2010.

Rice University will initiate construction in 2009 on the 111,000-sf Brockman Hall for Physics in Houston. Housing vibration- and noise- controlled laboratories, the facility will support research in fundamental and applied physics. The building will be sited adjacent to George R. Brown Hall in the new Science Quadrangle and is slated for completion in December of 2010. Housing advanced instrumentation for precision measurement, the project will consolidate research faculty currently housed in five separate locations.

Many universities are leveraging current economic challenges to recruit highly skilled faculty and researchers. Northeastern University in Boston is engaged in a search for 46 professors in a wide range of disciplines, and Tufts University seeks to fill 52 faculty positions. Other institutions, including Amherst, Holy Cross, and Emerson, have created new teaching jobs.

The Scottish Agricultural College opened a £1.3 million beef research center near Edinburgh in Easter Howgate in February of 2009. Funded in part by the Scottish Government, the 3,000-sm facility can house up to 500 bovines. Designed for flexibility, the building will enable researchers to alter operational layouts to study animal production, genetic improvement, behavior, welfare, and greenhouse gas reduction.

Funding from the proposed $900 billion economic stimulus package, which may be approved in February of 2009, will be awarded to “shovel-ready” construction projects. Municipal and educational institutions will compete for the funding, which would be available for projects with plans and contracts in place that can begin construction within 18 months.

The University of Massachusetts completed the $92 million Integrated Sciences Building in January of 2009. Supporting instruction in chemistry, biology, and animal science, the four-story, 155,000-gsf facility includes teaching and research laboratories, a 300-seat auditorium, interaction areas, and advanced imaging facilities. The building will promote interdisciplinary teaching and research by integrating the life, chemical, and physical sciences.

Construction of college and university facilities in the United Kingdom is continuing unchecked in a move to gain the leading edge in the global technology and education market. Newcastle University is planning £200 million in construction over the next three years, and Suffolk New College is building the new £69 million Ipswich campus. Napier University has initiated a £100 million capital plan that includes construction of a health, life, and social sciences campus in Edinburgh.

The University of Ulster will invest £250 million to expand and renovate its four campuses in Northern Ireland. The project includes construction of a new landmark facility in Belfast, expansion of academic facilities in Derry, and development of a premier sports campus in Jordanstown.

Western University of Health Sciences is constructing the 180,000-sf Health Education Center in Pomona, Calif. Slated for completion in January of 2010, the four-story building will include two 350-seat auditoriums, six 125-seat classrooms, 50 meeting rooms, and research facilities. The facility will house the College of Osteopathic Medicine and degree programs in dentistry, podiatry, and optometry. The construction manager for the project is DPR Construction. 

Pennsylvania State University is planning to construct a BSL-3 laboratory on its University Park campus. The 15,000-sf facility will support biodefense, agricultural, and zoonotic research, enabling the university to compete for federal funding supporting select agent and infectious disease research. Penn State operates an existing BSL-2 research laboratory.