Higher Education

The University of Baltimore is planning to construct a new $107 million School of Law facility in Baltimore, Md. Slated for completion in August of 2012, the 190,000-sf project will enter the design phase by year-end 2008. The facility is part of the planned Fitzgerald at UB Midtown development which will house 240 apartments, street-level retail, and a 1,100-sf parking garage. The facility is being designed by Behnisch Architekten of Stuttgart in partnership with Ayers/Saint/Gross of Baltimore. The University of Baltimore is part of the University System of Maryland.

Tufts University is building the $25.9 million Regional Biocontainment Laboratory in North Grafton, Mass. Part of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the facility is funded in part by $19.35 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The 38,000-gsf facility is sited on 5.4 acres in the Grafton Science Park and will include 23,290-sf of mechanical and basement space.

IBM is partnering with The Swiss Technical University (ETH) to construct a £44 million nanotechnology laboratory near Zurich, Switzerland. Housing 900-sm of cleanroom space, the facility will accommodate 268-sm for IBM, 258-sm for ETH, and 400-sm of shared research space. The building will be sited on IBM’s Rueschlikon campus and will house temperature-stable laboratories protected from vibrations and EMI. The facility will accommodate research on nanotubes, nano-optics, spintronics, and carbon-based materials.

The University of Oklahoma is constructing two facilities for the College of Engineering in Norman. The 103,118-sf Devon Energy Hall will provide teaching labs, classrooms, research areas, and meeting rooms. The five-story facility will house the School of Computer Science and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The 41,052-sf, two-story ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility will include 10,000-sf of space for engineering projects, computer labs, and tutoring.

The University of Victoria opened its $37.7 million social sciences and mathematics facility in late June of 2008. The 9,090-sm building houses classrooms, research labs, lecture halls, offices, and meeting rooms for geography, environmental studies, political science, and mathematics. The facility, which features two green roofs, was built to LEED Gold sustainable design standards and houses the Water & Climate Impacts Research Centre. Sustainable design features include natural ventilation, energy efficient lighting, and use of recycled construction materials.

The University of California, San Diego has selected EMCOR subsidiaries Dynalectric Company and University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors to provide the electrical and mechanical infrastructure for the 128,000-sf Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center in San Diego.

Lee University will initiate construction in July of 2008 on a 73,000-sf laboratory and classroom facility for science and mathematics instruction in Cleveland, Tenn. The $14 million facility will be comprised of two wings connected by a central commons and will house a 150-seat lecture hall, 13 classrooms, 10 laboratories, 30 faculty offices, a large student lounge, reading rooms, and two computer labs.

The University of California at Santa Cruz will construct a $12.9 million stem cell research center on the fourth floor of its planned Biomedical Sciences Building. Supported by $7.2 million in funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the 19,829-sf facility will house interdisciplinary stem cell research laboratories. The project will include core research areas, microscopy, and tissue culture rooms. 

The University of Minnesota will construct a plant pathogen laboratory with greenhouses on its St. Paul campus. The project was approved by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in June of 2008 and will accommodate research on diseases such as the virulent stem rust Ug99. The secure facility will feature advanced air filtration and containment technologies.

Arkansas Tech will begin construction in summer of 2008 on a 60,000-sf academic facility in Russellville, Ark. The building will house the Tech School of Business, two floors of instructional classrooms, and an academic advising center. Occupancy is slated for spring of 2010. Arkansas Tech is also planning an expansion of its engineering and life science facilities and the construction of a new physical plant complex.

The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is building the Marine and Coastal Science Research and Instructional Center (MCSRIC) on Skidaway Island, Ga. The project broke ground in December of 2007 and will house 11,000-sf of research laboratories, space for visiting scientists, and instructional space for University System of Georgia marine science students. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility, which is slated for completion in spring of 2009.

The University of Toronto at Mississauga will break ground in fall of 2008 on the four-story New Medical Academy Building. Two-thirds of the facility will house instructional and administrative space with one-third housing research labs and faculty offices. The $36 million health sciences complex will include classrooms and laboratories for chemistry, forensics, psychology, molecular biology, and biomedical research. The project manager is PMX Inc. Completion is slated for August of 2010.

North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is building the $72 million Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Medical Center in Raleigh. Housing small animal services including cardiology, internal medicine, neurology, emergency, critical care, surgery, and oncology, the 115,000-sf center will accommodate up to 25,000 cases a year.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center opened the $52.7 million Sorrell Center for Health Science Education in Omaha in June of 2008. The four-story, 134,183-sf facility consolidates the medical school’s education programs and includes four 80-seat classrooms, two 220-seat auditoriums, 16 simulation training suites, a clinical skills center, offices, and conference rooms.

The University of California, Santa Barbara is renovating 10,337-sf in its Biological Sciences 2 Facility to house the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering. The $6.3 million project is funded by $3.2 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The collaborative stem cell research facility will include a core laboratory with a high throughput sequencing apparatus, offices, conference rooms, and support.