Higher Education

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute opened the $200 million Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center in October of 2008 in Troy, N.Y. The 220,000-sf technology-rich facility includes a 1,200-seat concert hall, a 400-seat theater, artist studios and rehearsal spaces, and a 360-degree panoramic screen. The center supports collaborative creation and research in art and technology, including visualization, animation, and acoustics. Background noise has been minimized in the building, which features a nearly silent heating and cooling system.

The University of South Florida has selected HOK to design its new $82 million interdisciplinary science teaching and research facility. The 260,610-sf building will be located on the University’s Tampa campus.

The University of Louisville is constructing the $34.6 million Center for Predictive Medicine on its East Louisville campus in Shelby County, Ky. The 37,000-sf project is an NIH-funded Regional Biodefense Laboratory and houses BSL-3 facilities for research on emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism prevention. The building broke ground in 2006 and is slated for occupancy in summer of 2009. The project contractor is Messer of Cincinnati with International Commissioning Engineers as commissioning agent.

Purdue University is planning to construct the $40 million ETB project on its Calumet campus in Hammond, Ind. SmithGroup’s Detroit office will provide consulting design, lab design, and lab planning services for the approximately 77,000-gsf facility. Groundbreaking is expected in 2010. The project will provide offices and laboratories for research and teaching for the Department of Biological Sciences, Nursing, and the School of Education, as well as housing the PUC Centers and Institutes and affiliated laboratories.

Niagara University is planning to construct the $25 million Golisano Center for Integrated Sciences on its campus in upstate New York. The two-story, 44,000-sf complex will house interdisciplinary classrooms and laboratories for biology, chemistry, physics, bioinformatics, and computational chemistry. The building will provide integrated and flexible research and teaching facilities and is slated for completion by fall of 2011.

St. Cloud State University has selected Rafferty Rafferty Tollefson Lindeke Architects (RRTL) to design the $42 million Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility (ISELF) in St. Cloud, Minn. Schematic design for the approximately 100,000-sf research and teaching building will reach completion in December of 2008. The facility will accommodate instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. RFD (Research Facilities Design) is providing laboratory design consultation for the project to RRTL.

Colorado State University broke ground on a $17.5 million expansion of Rockwell Hall in Fort Collins on October 2, 2008. Housing 40,500 sf for the College of Business, the project will feature nine technology-rich classrooms, a financial data laboratory, a 112-seat auditorium, and a student forum. Completion is expected in January of 2010.

The University of California, Davis is planning to construct the second phase of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. The $16.5 million, 32,000-sf project will feature a teaching and research winery, a food science laboratory, and a brewery. Construction will begin in June of 2009 with completion slated for July of 2010.

The California Academy of Sciences opened its new 410,000-sf museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in September of 2008. Designed by Renzo Piano, the sustainably-designed facility is comprised of 12 separate buildings and includes the Steinhart Aquarium, the Morrison planetarium, a four-story rainforest, and a natural history museum. The project features a $488 million green roof, non-toxic insulation, a passive heating and cooling system, a recycled steel structure, and photovoltaic electricity.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County will begin construction in July of 2010 on the Performing Arts and Humanities Facility (PAHF) in Baltimore. The facility will house the Office of Arts and Culture and the departments of Dance, English, Music, Philosophy, Ancient Studies, and Theater. The project will feature a 400-seat concert hall, a 300-seat theater, a recital hall, a black box theater, dance and recording studios, archeology labs, and a writing lab. The Dresher Center for the Humanities will also be headquartered in the building.

Texas A&M University will begin construction in November of 2008 on a $104 million emerging technologies engineering building in College Station, Texas. The facility will house the departments of biomedical engineering and industrial and systems engineering as well as interdisciplinary research space. Housing 112 engineering faculty members, the project will support the creation of advanced medical devices and therapeutics. Construction is expected to reach completion in June of 2011.

The University of Tennessee will officially open the $17 million Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy in Knoxville in October of 2008. The 51,000-sf education and research facility will house offices, classrooms, archives, an auditorium, a museum, and a rotunda. The general contractor for the project was Rentenbach Constructors Inc.

The University of British Columbia broke ground on three facilities at its Okanagan campus in Kelowna in September of 2008. The $33.7 million, 4,266-sm Health Sciences Centre will house medical education classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, and faculty offices. Completion is slated for 2011. The $42.2, 8,940-sm Arts and Sciences 2 Building will house a large lecture hall, classrooms, undergraduate teaching labs, research labs, academic offices, and support.

South Dakota State University opened the $12.1 million Wellness Center in Brookings in September of 2008. The facility was designed by Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative of Denver with EAPC Architects Engineers of Fargo as architect of record. The general contractor was Sunkota Construction of Sioux Falls. The 74,000-sf building features health and fitness facilities as well as the Student Health Clinic and Counseling Services, a pharmacy, and a chiropractic clinic.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine dedicated the $302 million Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine in Philadelphia on October 2, 2008. The 500,000-sf outpatient facility houses 12 clinical specialties with integrated diagnosis, testing, and treatment services. Designed by a joint venture of Perkins Eastman and Rafael Viñoly Architects, the Perelman Center houses 225 exam rooms, 84 private chemotherapy infusion bays, and outpatient surgery. LEED certification will be sought for the facility.