The National Science Foundation initiated the Academic Research Infrastructure Program: Recovery and Reinvestment (ARI-R²) in May of 2009. The ARI-R² program will invest in the repair, renovation, or in exceptional cases, the replacement of existing research facilities. It will not support the construction of new research facilities.
Northern Kentucky University is planning to construct the $50.8 million Center for Informatics in Highland Heights. Slated for completion in July of 2010, the 110,000-gsf project will feature a transparent two-story digitorium. Providing 75,000-asf, the Center for Informatics will house flexible research space, classrooms, teaching labs, performance studios, a commons area, and a café. The construction cost of the facility is $40 million.
Clarkson University broke ground on a $25 million student center in Potsdam, N.Y., in May of 2009. Designed by Perkins and Will of Boston, the three-story, 56,000-sf facility will house an amphitheater atrium, conference rooms, a café, and student organization space. Completion is slated for August of 2010. Promoting the integration of living and learning, the sustainably-designed building will feature transparent and moveable walls for maximum flexibility.
South Dakota State University dedicated the $7.5 million Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building in Brookings in May of 2009. Housing classrooms, laboratories, study rooms, and faculty offices for the College of Engineering, the 43,052-gsf instructional facility features a micro- and nano-electronics cleanroom. The top level of the four-story building provides R&D space for industry partners. Construction began on the project in mid-2007.
Auckland University is planning a $240 million expansion and renovation of its medical and health science campus in Grafton, New Zealand. Construction will begin in late 2009 on a new four-story building housing lecture halls and a large atrium. Occupancy is expected by year-end 2011. A renovation of three existing facilities is expected to reach completion by early 2013.
Mesalands Community College will begin construction in November of 2009 on the $7 million North American Wind Research and Training Center in Tucumari, N.M. The 26,385-sf facility was designed by Kilmer and Associates of Clovis and is slated for completion in December of 2010. The project will be comprised of a 12,697-sf wind turbine workshop and a 13,688-sf facility housing classrooms, labs, offices, and a lecture hall.
Loughborough University opened the £8 million Clyde Williams building in May of 2009. Housing the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS), the facility features 27 laboratories, a large lecture hall, four teaching rooms, and two climatic chambers. The project was designed by David Morley Architects and built by GB-Building Solutions.
The University of Missouri officially opened the $9 million Life Science Business Incubator in Columbia in early May of 2009. The 33,000-sf project will provide laboratory space for up to 14 companies engaged in biomedical, energy, and technology research and development.
Florida A&M University opened the $1.2 million Animal Healthcare Complex in Quincy on May 5, 2009. Located at the FAMU Research and Development Center, the teaching and research facility features an animal medicine clinic, a wet lab, a surgical suite with videoconferencing, and a computer lab. The center houses advanced veterinary diagnostic technologies and was designed by Johnson and Peterson of Tallahassee. The complex houses ruminant, cattle, swine, and equine species. Construction began on the facility in May of 2008.
The University of Alberta received over $100 million in federal stimulus funding for facility renovations in late spring of 2009. Part of a $2 billion economic initiative, the funding will enable 10,000-sm in the Health Research Innovation Facility to be developed as laboratory and teaching space. The project will support medical research in infectious diseases, diabetes, women's and children's health, and organ transplantation. Chemistry and biology buildings will benefit from hood exhaust system upgrades and the construction of additional labs.
National University of Ireland, Maynooth broke ground on a €15m research building in May of 2009. Located on the North Campus, the 4,500-sm facility will house the National Centre for Geocomputation, the National Institute for Research and Spatial Analysis, and An Foras Feasa, the Institute for Research in Irish Historical and Cultural Traditions. The project will accommodate 350 students and 200 academic staff and researchers and is slated for completion in June of 2010. The building will include interdisciplinary research space and a 350-seat lecture hall.
Babcock University will break ground in June of 2009 on the $250 million College of Health and Medical Sciences in Ilisan Remo, Nigeria. The facility will house the schools of Medicine, Public and Allied Health, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing. The project will include a biomedical research center and a 750-bed teaching hospital.
Easton College is planning to build the £9 million Jubilee3 academic facility in Norwich, U.K. Part of a £21 million campus improvement plan, the instructional building will feature a green roof, natural ventilation, ground source heating, and a wall constructed entirely of glazing. The facility will provide a living laboratory for the college’s degree program in sustainable engineering. Jubilee3 will house two labs, classrooms, flexible learning space, a 100-seat lecture hall, and a café. Occupancy is expected in summer of 2010.
Florida Atlantic University will initiate construction in spring of 2010 on the Harbor Branch Research Laboratory II in St. Lucie, Fla. Designed by PGAL with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant, the 40,000-gsf project will house research labs, lab support, and offices. The facility will provide 16,500-nsf of state-of-the-art laboratory space and will be built to meet LEED Silver sustainable design criteria.
Texas A&M University will begin construction on a new campus in Killeen in fall of 2010. Sited on 672 acres, Texas A&M University-Central Texas will be built on land transferred from the U.S. Army. Completion of the first 150,000-sf classroom and office building is slated for late 2011. The project will enable Tarleton State University to become part of the A&M system. Tarleton State University will change its name to Texas A&M University-Central Texas and will issue $25 million in bonds to fund construction of the new campus.
