Higher Education

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.

Algonquin College will begin construction in April of 2011 on a $36 million waterfront campus in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. The 80,000-sf facility is slated for occupancy in fall of 2012.

The College of Saint Rose is building the $9 million Massry Center for the Arts in New York. The 32,000-sf facility will house a 400-seat recital hall, rehearsal spaces, a gallery, classrooms, seminar rooms, and dormitories. The Center for Communications and Interactive Media will include studios for music recording, television, and radio; a video production room; and a multimedia computer laboratory. Completion is expected in January of 2010.

The University of Waterloo broke ground on the $9 million Summit Centre for the Environment in Huntsville, Ontario, in August of 2009. The 30,000-sf research facility will support environmental science and ecology with laboratories, classrooms, seminar rooms, and dormitories. Completion is expected by fall of 2010.

Princeton University will open the completed Butler College dormitories in September of 2009. The 113,000-sf sustainably designed complex can accommodate 287 students. The project also includes a classroom, a seminar room, an amphitheater courtyard, and food service. The facilities were designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York.

The University of Colorado dedicated the $56 million Science and Engineering Building in Colorado Springs in August of 2009. The 156,000-sf facility houses 53 research labs, 32 teaching labs, and 11 classrooms. The sustainably designed building houses the departments of biology, physics, and mechanical and aerospace engineering, as well as the National Institute for Science, Space, and Security Centers, and the CU Institute for Bioenergetics. Ground was broken for the project in 2006.

The University of California, Berkeley is planning to construct the $112.9 million Computational Research and Theory Facility. The 126,300-gsf project will house the Department of Energy’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing (NERSC) Center. Providing 73,000-asf, the facility will house a 32,000-sf high performance computing floor and offices for NERSC and university researchers.

The University of California is funding construction of research facilities by loaning the State of California $199.8 million, to be paid back over three years at 3.2 percent interest. The state will then allocate the money to the University of California to support construction on voter-approved projects.

The Republic of Ireland announced a total of 24,000-sm of new university construction projects in August of 2009.

Southern Illinois University is planning to build a $72 million science building on its Edwardsville campus. The Engineering Building will also benefit from a $9 million expansion. Other planned projects include a $40 million health science building housing the departments of nursing, biology, and pharmacy; a $6 million expansion of the Art and Design Building; and a $4.5 million multidisciplinary laboratory at the Alton dental school.

The College of William and Mary opened the 166,000-sf Alan B. Miller Hall in August of 2009 in Williamsburg, Va. Housing the Mason School of Business, the technology-rich building houses 11 reconfigurable classrooms, a 4,000-sf multipurpose room, two seminar rooms, a communication lab, a business library, an electronic trading classroom, an atrium, and a café. Ground was broken on the $75 million facility in late March of 2007. LEED certification will be sought for the project.

The University of Hawaii Hilo is constructing a $50 million facility for the College of Pharmacy. The four-building complex is sited on ten acres and will provide teaching and research labs, classrooms, and offices. The project broke ground in October of 2008 with occupancy expected in fall of 2009.

The University of Arkansas is engaged in multiple construction projects on its Fort Smith campus. An expansion and renovation of the Boreham Library, designed by MAHG Architects, is in the preliminary stages and a $400,000 renovation of the Math-Science building is ongoing. Construction began in July of 2009 on a 130,000-sf student housing complex. The four-story, two-building project will include a dining hall and is slated for completion by fall of 2010.