Higher Education

Brookhaven College, part of the Dallas County Community College District, broke ground on the 28,000-sf Workforce and Continuing Education Building in March of 2009. Located in Farmers Branch, Texas, the $6 million facility was designed by SHW Group of Dallas. Occupancy is slated for January 2010. More than 15 new classrooms will be built, all of which will have laptop carts so they can be used as either a traditional classroom or a computer lab.

The Canadian Light Source is planning to construct two research facilities in Saskatoon. The Quantum Materials Spectroscopy Centre (QMSC) and the BioXAS Beamline Facility will benefit from $3.8 million in funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada. The QMSC will house a beamline for materials science research and will be operated by the University of British Columbia.

RMIT University will break ground in August of 2009 on a $200 million academic building in Melbourne. Designed by Lyons Architects, the 10-story, 34,350-sm facility will include 64 teaching spaces, 12 lecture theatres, 10 learning areas, a two-story student interaction area, and departmental space for the College of Business. The sustainably-designed project will feature external sun shades, greywater recycling, solar hot water, and a natural ventilation system.

The Medical University of South Carolina began construction on a 28,000-sf biomedical research facility in Charleston in March of 2009. The $5.5 million Innovation Center project involves renovation of an existing warehouse facility to create a 28,000-sf business incubator housing technology-rich research labs and offices. Completion is expected in November of 2009. The project is created in collaboration with the South Carolina Research Authority and the city of Charleston.

Louisiana Cancer Research Center initiated construction in early 2009 on a $100 million research facility in New Orleans. Created by a partnership of Tulane University Health Sciences Center and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, the 250,000-sf project is sited on two acres between the collaborating institutions. The facility was designed by RMJM Hillier with Brice Building Company as general contractor. Completion is expected in August of 2011.

Wright State University’s Matthew O. Diggs III Laboratory for Life Science Research was awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification in March of 2009. Located in Fairborn, Ohio, the 48,000-sf facility utilizes 40 percent less energy than a standard laboratory and features a white roof for heat deflection, irrigation-free landscaping, waterless urinals and low-flow plumbing fixtures, highly efficient HVAC systems with heat recovery, and low-VOC interior finishes. The $15 million facility was completed in November of 2007.

Southern Utah University is planning to construct the $20 million Gibson Science Center in Cedar City. The 42,385-sf facility will be built as an addition to the University’s Science Center and will house the departments of biology, chemistry, and nursing. The four-story project will provide 23 laboratories, 34 offices, three classrooms, two animal care rooms, a greenhouse, and a museum. Site work will begin in summer of 2009 with completion slated for July of 2010.

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine opened the $45 million Anne and Mike Armstrong Medical Education Building in Baltimore in early 2009. The four-story, 100,000-sf project broke ground in September of 2006 and houses a 70-person learning studio, two 180-seat lecture halls, classrooms, flexible laboratories, offices, and study areas. The facility will support the School of Medicine’s new Genes to Society curriculum, which centers on advances in human genome research.

UC Santa Cruz is partnering with Foothill-De Anza Community College and NASA Ames Research Center to create a $1 billion research and education campus at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif. The project will support research on energy, sustainable technologies, and advanced computing. The campus will include classrooms, research labs, a business incubator, and housing. Construction is expected begin between 2012 and 2014. The facilities will be sustainably designed and will feature solar and wind power and water reclamation.

The University of Tennessee began site work for the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials in Knoxville in March of 2009. Construction will begin the following autumn on the facility which is supported by $20 million in federal funds and $10 million in state funds. Completion is expected in August of 2011. The project is part of the Cherokee Farm development, a 188-acre interdisciplinary research campus created to foster collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and industry partners.

The Canadian government allocated up to $2 billion in its 2009 budget to repair, retrofit, and expand facilities at post-secondary institutions. The funding represents a strategic investment in knowledge infrastructure.

The Australian National University is planning to initiate $250 million in construction and renovation at its Canberra campus. A $150 million science facility expansion is slated for completion in June of 2011. Comprised of two three-story buildings, the project will house teaching and research facilities for biology and chemistry. The third and final phase of the John Curtin School of Medical Research will also be completed.

The University of California-Merced is planning to construct a stem cell research facility in the existing Science and Engineering Building in Merced, Calif. Funded by $4.36 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the $6 million research laboratory will feature a microfabrication facility to analyze stem cells at a single cell level. Construction could begin in October of 2009 with occupancy expected in October of 2010.

The University of Nottingham officially opened the £30 million Jubilee Campus Phase II in March of 2009. Located on a former brownfield site in Nottingham in the United Kingdom, the sustainably-designed project includes the Sir Colin Campbell Building, housing the University's Technology Transfer Office and a business incubator; the International House; and the Amenities Building, which provides lecture and seminar rooms, student services, and dining.

The University of Southern Indiana will break ground in April of 2009 on an $18.4 million expansion of University Center on its Evansville campus. The facility was designed by Holzman Moss Architecture of New York city with Weddle Brothers as general contractor. Completion is expected in early 2011. The project involves 18,000 sf of new construction and conversion of a 60,000-sf former library to create conference, dining, and student organization space. The expansion will add a total of 78,000 sf to the completed University Center.